The proposal to establish a business improvement district in the Village of Lindenhurst is close to becoming a reality. At the Lindenhurst Village Board meeting on January 24, the business owners voted by an overwhelming majority to establish a business improvement district (or BID) in Lindenhurst.

Supporters of the BID are hoping to have the entire process completed and the BID established by March 1st

“I really think this will improve our downtown,” said Lindenhurst Mayor Tom Brennan. “It will make it much more appealing for major businesses to come to Lindenhurst.”

John Frenna of Little Flower Shop in the Village said he believes the program will benefit the business and commercial property owners.

“The Town needs a bit of a revitalization and we can’t put any more taxes on Village residents,” he said. “It’s only a little amount of money but I could mean a big difference. I support it and am happy about it.”

By approving a business improvement district, the business owners are essentially agreeing to an additional tax. That amount will be equal to twenty percent of the village taxes they currently pay. For the average Lindenhurst business owner, that amount will be approximately $100-$200 a year, said Village officials

All of the money raised by BID will be reinvested into improving business in Lindenhurst. According to Mayor Brennan, some of the items that this money could be used for are creating restrooms in the downtown area underneath the railroad, creating additional parking areas for consumers, improving sidewalks, installing new business facades and putting up extremely attractive holiday decorations.

“This will provide a new economic tool that the downtown area can utilize,” said Shawn Cullinane, the Village clerk/administrator who authored the BID. “The money will be specifically set aside for the district and will be helpful for business recruitment and in keeping our current businesses where they are.”

In other news, the village board also adopted the new budget. The budget was trimmed down from a proposed six percent increase to an increase of 3.4 percent. Due to labor contracts, salaries of village employees will be increasing four percent. Despite those increases and the rising energy costs, the budget increases were limited to 3.4 percent.

Said Mayor Brennan, “We are very pleased with the minimal increase, especially in light of rising energy costs. We will be able to continue providing our residents with the same high quality of services without overburdening them with taxes.”