Downtown Helena, Inc. -- BID Info

Welcome to Downtown Helena!
A virtual visitors' guide to Downtown Helena, Montana

Downtown Helena Business Improvement District

In 1986, Helena was the first Montana city to establish a business improvement district. On July 24, 2000, the City Commission voted to renew the BID for another ten years. The BID staff worked hard to reach property owners to discuss the benefits and future projects of the BID. In total, we received signed petitions of support from owners representing 78 percent of the proposed district.

The next ten years will find the BID engaged in a number of projects and issues. Some of those issues and projects are:

Communicating with the public about BID administration, including budgets and programs
Working more closely with property owners who want help with promotion and development
Continuing to develop more and better parking facilities
Bringing a trolley bus to Downtown
Creation of a Downtown Development Plan

The goal for the BID over the next decade is to build on our successes and fine tune the downtown experience for local residents and visitors. Our ten-year plan includes projects that add value to existing downtown businesses and stimulate the development of complementary activities, such as the annual Mt. Helena Music Festival and Spring and Fall Art Walks.

To read more about the BID Renewal 2000, go to A Ten-Year Plan for the Downtown Helena Business Improvement District.

See a BID Boundary Map.

DOWNTOWN HELENA FAQs

Following are answers to questions asked about the Business Improvement District (BID), Downtown Helena, Inc. (DHI), and the Helena Parking Commission (HPC):

Downtown Helena BID

Management: Three full-time staff.

Status: Created by property owners with City Commission approval for a maximum of 10 years per MCA 7-12-1101.

Decision-makers: BID board of trustees, seven members appointed by a city per MCA 7-12-1101 with staggering terms.

Revenue sources (primary): BID property assessments on commercial property within the district and management fees from DHI and HPC for staffing contracts.

Major program areas:

Administration of numerous Tax Increment Financing (TIF) projects approved by the City Commissioners.
Organizing and coordinating downtown events.
Planning and coordinating numerous downtown improvements both public and private.
Staffing DHI board and organizational programs.
Planning long-range improvements and infill development.

Downtown Helena, Inc.

Management: BID employees serve as staff for DHI. Lead staff is Jim McHugh, Marketing and Events Manager.

Status: DHI is an independent, 501(c)6 nonprofit membership organization.

Decision-makers: Seven-member board of directors elected by DHI members at their annual meeting in the early spring.

Revenue Sources (primary): Membership dues, fees, sponsorships, and event proceeds.

Major program areas:

Community and retail events organizing.
Promotion and marketing of downtown businesses and organizations.
Membership services such as gift certificates, dues collection, bookkeeping, advertising, outreach.

Helena Parking Commission

Management: BID Director serves as the Director of the HPC, which has 8 employees. The City of Helena provides all accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll.

Decision-makers: Same board of trustees as the BID.

Revenue sources (primary): Exclusively parking fees, permits, and fines.

Major program areas:

Enforcement of parking regulations.
Maintenance of all public off-street parking and on-street parking throughout downtown.
Planning and implementation of all new parking projects or parking management changes.

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