On March 8 the City Council heard the first reading of an ordinance that would continue the Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) for an eighteenth year. If approved, the ordinance would provide for the levy of an eighth year assessment of $728,850 – comprised of $638,068 in assessments and $90,782 from reserves. It would also approve the BIA annual budget, work program and assessment rates of 9.73 cents per square foot for occupied space and 3.24 cents per square foot for unoccupied space for the period May 1, 2005, through April 30, 2006 – a 0.05 percent increase in the assessment rate over last year. The Local Development Council held a public meeting and heard testimony from rate payers on Jan. 26, 2005.