A decade-old influential group of Hartford businesses and property owners that funds cleaning and security services downtown could see its longtime city funding axed in the upcoming fiscal year.
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A decade-old influential group of Hartford businesses and property owners that funds cleaning and security services downtown could see its longtime city funding axed in the upcoming fiscal year.
Mayor Luke Bronin's fiscal 2018 budget proposal, unveiled last week, would eliminate $100,000 in funding for the Hartford Business Improvement District (HBID), a special taxing district and nonprofit created in 2007.
HBID's main source of funding — which is not at risk — is a tax surcharge on the 208 properties within the district, which generated $976,000 last fiscal year, according to HBID's latest annual report.
It's unclear what impact the proposed city cut could have on the services provided by HBID's contracted “ambassadors,” who last year removed 70 tons of litter, cleaned up nearly 1,900 graffiti tags and conducted more than 7,000 security patrols, among other tasks, the report said.
Asked last week about the proposed cut, HBID Executive Director Jordan Polon said she was unable to comment.
HBID has bundled tens of thousands of dollars in donations to help pay for several UConn basketball championship parades. It also organizes the annual Hooker Day Parade and oversees the “Hartford Has It” marketing and banner campaign.
The city has provided funding to HBID since its creation. That earmark was $200,000 since at least 2010 (the oldest budget available on the city's website) — representing approximately 15 percent of the nonprofit's annual revenue.
Bronin's proposed budget last year zeroed out the $200,000, but city councilors restored half of the money in the final budget. His new budget proposal would cut the remaining $100,000.
In a press conference last week, Bronin said the city's challenging financial situation forced him to propose cuts to a number of community entities, from the Greater Hartford Arts Council to the Bushnell Park Carousel.
“This is a bare-bones budget that allows the city to deliver essential services to our residents, but not much more,” Bronin said. “This budget goes beyond the limit of the cuts that I think should be made if the resources were there.”
The cuts follow funding reductions last year to various parades and cultural events.
Bronin's budget maintains funding for homeless shelters, food pantries, and the Hartford Public Library.
– Matt Pilon
