California Prevailing Wage and Assessment Districts
By Melanee Cottrill, Civitas Here at Civitas, we are lucky to frequently hear from our clients in between projects. One of our favorite new frequently asked questions is “Do I have to follow prevailing wage?” As of January 2015, the short and simple answer is … maybe. For a property and business improvement district providing […]
Renewing a PBID? For Best Results, Start in January
By Melanee Cottrill, Civitas Do you remember how long it took to form your PBID? All the work that goes into a formation, determining boundaries, debating which services are really needed, coming up with a realistic budget, and then getting property owners to buy in can take a year or more. When it comes time […]
The Tourism Improvement District Revolution
By Melanee Cottrill, Civitas If you’ve seen us speak at a conference lately, you’ve heard the news – tourism improvement districts are booming! From humble beginnings in 1989, to a global phenomenon, tourism improvement districts are on the rise. Let’s take a look back at where we started, and just how far we’ve come. Humble […]
News Alert: Court Resolves San Diego TMD Lawsuit
By Melanee Cottrill, Civitas The San Diego Tourism Marketing District (SDTMD) today claimed victory in a three-year battle over the District’s most recent renewal. The case was San Diegans for Open Government (SDOG) v. City of San Diego (City). This case arose from the City’s 2012 renewal of the SDTMD. The TMD was created […]
California Public Records Act – General Rules and Exceptions
By Nathan Hyde, Civitas Have you received a Public Records Act request and had no clue on how to respond? This article briefly explains the law and how it applies to PBID, TBID and BID Owners’ Associations. Summary – The California Public Records Act (PRA) is specifically applicable to government entities—counties, cities, commissions and other […]
Hiring 101: Part 3 – Trusting Your Gut is Madness
By Melanee Cottrill, Civitas You’ve learned that Most Hires are Average. You know that The Best People Aren’t Easy to Find. If you need a refresher, here is a link to our last newsletter. Now that you’ve found some candidates who could be that elusive above-average hire, at least on paper, it’s time to start […]
Which C is Right for Me?
One question we are often asked here at Civitas is, “Can our corporation be a (c)(3)?” It’s not a surprising question, given that a (c)(3) corporation is the only type of nonprofit to which benefactors can make tax-free donations. That makes it both the most desirable – and the most difficult – status to obtain. And […]
Court Issues Initial Decision in San Diego TMD Case
San Diego, California – January 29, 2016 The San Diego County Superior Court has issued a Statement of Decision in the case San Diegans for Open Government (SDOG) v. City of San Diego (City). While this decision does not end the case, it did address key legal issues regarding Plaintiff SDOG’s standing to sue. Unfortunately, […]
Civitas Partner Feature: Augustine Ideas
Crafting A Successful Brand Strategy By Lee Goddard, Augustine Ideas In the last issue we discussed the critical elements for defining your brand. In this issue we’ll review the steps associated with creating a successful brand strategy for your destination. In essence, a brand strategy is simply the long-term plan for the success of your brand. […]
Out with the Old: Could you benefit from BID Modernization?
By Melanee Cottrill, Civitas The year was 1989. Business improvement districts were a new concept just starting to spread around the United States, having originated in New York in the late 1970’s. In California, a new state law allowed cities to take the first steps into a brave new world populated with BIDs. In 1994, […]
