Prince George, BC –  With its current three-year bylaw set to expire at the end of next month, the Downtown Business Improvement Association is hoping to continue ‘business as usual’, but for a longer five-year term.

As councillors considered giving first three readings to the new bylaw, DBIA Chair Rod Holmes said, "The only difference is we’re asking for a five year term instead of a three year term, so we don’t have to constantly come back to you."

Under the bylaw, the DBIA collects a local service tax from downtown properties that lie within its boundaries for use on improvements in the area.  "Over the past three years, we’ve done a lot of growing and making sure things are running smoothly," Holmes told the councillors.  "We’ve actually had people outside of our area ask if they can join our DBIA, and I think that’s wonderful – we hadn’t really considered expanding our boundaries at this point in time, we just want to carry on doing what we’re doing."

While councillors were in support of the DBIA and passed first three readings of the new bylaw, a few were not happy with the process that now ensues – a reverse petition of sorts as outlined by the Community Charter, with letters being mailed to property owners in the local service area.  If, after two public notices and a 30-day period, at least 50-percent of the owners of the properties (representing at least 50-percent of the taxable value of the land) petition against the bylaw, council can’t grant final reading to the bylaw.

Councillor Frank Everitt said, "I would rather  council just made a decision and lived with that decision, as opposed to having a mechanism in place that is a reverse petition."