Fullerton : Council Rejects Proposal for Promoting Downtown

The City Council has rejected a plan to make downtown businesses pay for the promotion of events in their area.

Council members Tuesday night voted 3 to 2 against a request by the Downtown Fullerton Assn. for a public hearing to consider creating a downtown promotion district. The district would have made it mandatory for all retail businesses to pay a fee, not exceeding $500, based on their sales. Other businesses and offices would have paid between $90 and $120 per year.

Council members Alan (Buck) Catlin, Richard Ackerman and Linda LeQuire opposed the city’s involvement in setting a mandatory assessment for downtown businesses, City Manager William Winter said Wednesday.

The association, which includes about 60 merchants, community members and cultural groups that promote downtown events, receives about half of its $30,000 budget from the city. The group does have the option of establishing a promotion district but it does not have the authority to make the businesses pay a mandatory fee, Winter said. There are about 300 businesses in the downtown area.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the council directed the staff to organize a meeting including the 2-year-old association, the city, the Chamber of Commerce and the Redevelopment Agency to discuss the future of downtown events, Winter said.