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Downtown Residents Question Use of Funds From Property and Business Improvement District

Executives at Downtown San Diego Partnership are looking to implement a new business plan, judging by two recent payments to a business consultant totaling $11,758. According to financial reports, the payments went toward "consultant fees and reimbursement of expenses to undertake research, group facilitation and plan development for a Downtown Partnership Restructuring Business Plan."

The problem for some downtown residents; the Downtown Partnership is paying for the work with tax revenues from the Property and Business Improvement District.

And while consultants are often a useful resource, some residents are accusing the Downtown Partnership of spending taxpayer money with little or no regard.

"If the Downtown Partnership wishes to restructure their business plan, how can they shift these expenses to the taxpayers?" asks downtown resident Kathy Casey in a letter she sent to city councilmembers.

"It is my understanding that PBID funds are to be used for the direct benefit of the taxpayers within the PBID district, not to supplement the Downtown Partnership.

This isn't the first financial complaint that residents have had about the Property and Business Improvement District. In April 2010, I wrote an article about the nearly $300,000 that the city overcharged residents on their annual assessments. Residents have yet to receive refunds.

And then, last month I wrote about the Downtown Partnership's decision to pay maintenance-assessment district guru Marco Li Mandri $10,000 per month to serve as a consultant. The expense is in addition to the $1.6 million the district budgeted for salaries in 2012.

And for that reason, residents such as Casey hope councilmembers will step in and address alleged misallocations of taxpayer funds. But, Casey isn't holding her breath.

"I would be surprised if they do anything," writes Casey in an email. "As a citizen I want my streets to be clean and safe. The Downtown Partnership is paid well for their management of the Clean and Safe Program (PBID) and should stick to what Clean and Safe was set up to do."

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Executives at Downtown San Diego Partnership are looking to implement a new business plan, judging by two recent payments to a business consultant totaling $11,758. According to financial reports, the payments went toward "consultant fees and reimbursement of expenses to undertake research, group facilitation and plan development for a Downtown Partnership Restructuring Business Plan."

The problem for some downtown residents; the Downtown Partnership is paying for the work with tax revenues from the Property and Business Improvement District.

And while consultants are often a useful resource, some residents are accusing the Downtown Partnership of spending taxpayer money with little or no regard.

"If the Downtown Partnership wishes to restructure their business plan, how can they shift these expenses to the taxpayers?" asks downtown resident Kathy Casey in a letter she sent to city councilmembers.

"It is my understanding that PBID funds are to be used for the direct benefit of the taxpayers within the PBID district, not to supplement the Downtown Partnership.

This isn't the first financial complaint that residents have had about the Property and Business Improvement District. In April 2010, I wrote an article about the nearly $300,000 that the city overcharged residents on their annual assessments. Residents have yet to receive refunds.

And then, last month I wrote about the Downtown Partnership's decision to pay maintenance-assessment district guru Marco Li Mandri $10,000 per month to serve as a consultant. The expense is in addition to the $1.6 million the district budgeted for salaries in 2012.

And for that reason, residents such as Casey hope councilmembers will step in and address alleged misallocations of taxpayer funds. But, Casey isn't holding her breath.

"I would be surprised if they do anything," writes Casey in an email. "As a citizen I want my streets to be clean and safe. The Downtown Partnership is paid well for their management of the Clean and Safe Program (PBID) and should stick to what Clean and Safe was set up to do."

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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