Interesting N&O article on Measurement Inc.’s proposal to pull its 21 parcels of downtown land out of Durham’s Business Improvement District (BID) and thus avoid paying the tax that fund the district:

The downtown BID, also called a municipal service district, is a mix of commercial, retail and residential areas connected to each other. The district was formed in 2012 to “enhance the appearance and feel” of downtown with a goal to encourage economic development, visitor attraction and competition with other cities, according to the city.

Bryan Scherich, director of real estate for MI, oversees facility operations for the downtown properties that were proposed to be removed from the BID. He argued that MI doesn’t use or need the cleaning and safety services, because it has its own.

Measurement Inc. owner Hank Scherich said Downtown Durham Inc.’s “Find Your Cool” brand is not the type of slogan for business occupants of MI properties. Its downtown properties include the old BC Powder building, which was founded in Durham. Most of its buildings are around Washington Street downtown.

Opposition to Measurement Inc.’s proposal said that even if it didn’t use services, MI still benefited from BID services all around it. DDI CEO and President Nicole Thompson urged the city to leave it intact.

The N&O headline is somewhat misleading, suggesting that the BID will be done away with, when Measurement Inc.’s asserting a property owner’s right not to pay taxes for services it says it will not use. I don’t see why the business owners who support the BID can continue paying the tax and benefitting from the service. Also interesting that the N&O disabled reader comments–I’m always interested to note the opinions of average citizens. Perhaps the debate got a bit ugly, or—as the cynic in me might think—too many readers were supporting Measurement Inc. Or maybe too many readers reacted to Mayor Bill Bell’s comment that fortunately the way government operates is that taxpayers don’t have much of a choice what they pay for and don’t pay for” (emphasis mine).