10/02/2026
We’ve spent the past week coordinating with many of our Downtown Boonton business neighbors to mobilize a response to the Town of Boonton’s lack of transparency or inclusion regarding the proposed formation of a Business Improvement District along our Main Street. While we have many questions, there are four main questions that continue to come up as we work to educate the business owners on this topic.
1. VOICE
Who gets a real seat at the table? How will decisions be made, who will represent our district, and how will the affected businesses get a voice in shaping priorities.
2. MONEY
What will a BID cost, and WHO pays for the programming? Because right now, the proposed district is too small to fund itself, and there is a 50% budget shortfall our mayor and town council anticipate filling at least in part with Taxpayer Dollars.
3. ACCOUNTABILITY
What budget reviews, reporting, auditing, availability of public records, and oversight would apply to a nonprofit district manager. Because the fiscal accountability is a top priority when being entrusted with public funds.
4. COMMITMENT
Our downtown already receives municipal services with the property taxes we already pay. What additional services are actually needed, how much do they cost, who will fund this, and how will contracts be determined?
We the business owners of Main Street believe that The Town of Boonton, NJ needs to pump the brakes on this BID proposal and arrange sit down meetings with the business owners to discuss not just the successes of Boonton Main Street, but their failures as well.
Currently, there is no balanced discussion, no input, and no data to support the Town’s belief that a BID is our best path forward, or that BMS (soon to be rebranded as “Downtown Boonton”) is qualified to manage a district.
Please visit the website https://www.nobid4boonton.org to learn more, and sign our Change.org petition.
You can directly access our petition at
https://www.change.org/p/no-bid-for-boonton
Links also available in bio.
