City council last week approved renewing the Tsawwassen Business Improvement Area (TBIA) for another five years.
The business improvement area was first established by council through a bylaw in 1991 for a five-year term.
It had been renewed four times with the current bylaw expiring June 30, 2021.
A business improvement area is a designated area in which municipalities may provide a business improvement area service to assist businesses and property owners carry out marketing, promotional and revitalization programs.
The funding for a business improvement area is collected through a special property levy on specified properties within the designated boundary.
There’s currently 130 properties eligible to be levied in 2021.
Delta will levy and collect property taxes for the Tsawwassen Business Improvement Society.
The funding to the society over that time has been set at almost $737,000.
Earlier this year, council initiated a renewal process, which included a notice of intention sent to all owners of the 130 properties, including notification they would be subject to the local service tax.
Property owners not in favour of proceeding with the renewal were given more than 30 days to petition council not to proceed.
A report to council notes that no written responses were received petitioning against the proposed renewal, enabling council to go ahead with the renewal from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2026.
The Tsawwassen Business Improvement Society, which operates under the name Tsawwassen Business Improvement Association, has tackled a number of initiatives over the last five years to promote the Tsawwassen commercial district to residents and visitors.
