"The final bill before me today is Introductory Number 906, sponsored at the request of the Administration by Council Members Weprin, Vann, James, and Recchia.  This bill establishes the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District in the borough of Brooklyn.

"This new Business Improvement District - located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of north-central Brooklyn - is one of the busiest hubs of commercial activity in the borough.  It includes a diverse mix of about 307 regional and national chain stores along with independently owned businesses. 

"Business Improvement Districts, also known as 'BIDs,' are voluntarily formed community organizations that promote business development and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods across the City.  Established by local law, BIDs are self-funded by local property owners and are overseen by the City's Department of Small Business Services.  BIDs are valuable economic tools that strengthen and stabilize commercial and industrial areas.

"The Bed-Stuy Gateway BID, the twentieth established under our Administration, will provide maintenance and sanitation services, security services, marketing and promotion of local businesses, holiday lighting, economic development, beautification and landscaping.  The services provided to the community are essential to ensuring that small businesses, and the neighborhoods in which they operate, are given every opportunity to succeed.  The BID has an operating budget of $675,000.

"I would like to thank the Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Rob Walsh and his staff for their role in establishing this BID.  I also want to acknowledge the important contributions of the members of the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Steering Committee and the City Council."