AROUND TOWN - NOVEMBER 22, 2008

I have been meeting with large downtown property owners to discuss the advantages of creating a Business Improvement District (BID) for downtown Amherst. A BID is designed to provide supplemental services to members of the district. The members of the BID decide the supplemental services needed and manage the cost and delivery of those services. BIDs have been around a long time and traditionally have been used to coordinate and enhance marketing, cleanup, flowers, beautification and special events. Ann Burke, from Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, has been assisting in this effort. Jerry Jolly and the PDA have encouraged the study of the cost and benefits of such a program. I am also deeply appreciative of the financial and technical support provided by the Main Street Initiative team of the Massachusetts Department of Economic and Community Development.

I have been meeting with the Amherst department heads to plan and review tentative budgets for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2009 and ends June 30, 2010. I have been very impressed with the many solid ideas that the department heads have created for expense reduction or revenue enhancements. However, I am not terribly confident that a budget can be produced without significant changes in the services provided.

I met this week with representatives of the six social service agencies that receive cash contributions from the town budget. We agreed that we needed to plan for a reduction in the town's contribution and that as a partner, the town was committed to working with our partners to develop a plan that will be responsible. We plan on meeting again next week with the representatives of the six social service agencies to continue to plan for alternatives to the cash support provided by the town.

I had the pleasure to serve as a presenter at the Amherst Rotary Auction conducted last weekend. I was very impressed with the dedication of Rotarians to generate funds for needy charities. What a great organization!