‘Momentous day’ for Tipperary as business improvement district wins council approval
Plans for a business improvement district (BID) in Tipperary have officially passed in what has been heralded as a “momentous” day.
Following an overwhelmingly positive result of a plebiscite of ratepayers in Clonmel when they were asked if they would like to see a BID set up, the proposals were presented to the June plenary meeting of Tipperary County Council for a decision.
Under the BID, businesses will be asked to contribute to a fund aimed at improving and promoting the town. Ratepayers would be asked to pay 5pc of their total annual rates into the BID company for five years.
The BID will fund initiatives such as marketing, events, streetscape improvements, tourism promotion and business development projects.
In a presentation to all the elected members from across Tipperary, the council’s head of finance, Mark Connolly, said that he recommended that the proposal to establish Clonmel BID be passed.
Mayor of Clonmel councillor Pat English formally proposed the motion, while Fine Gael councillor John Fitzgerald seconded it, and said that the passing of the BID plans were a good news story for the town.
“Today is a momentous day in that 85pc of the ballot poll in the recent plebiscite carried the ballot to insert a BID in Clonmel, along with other towns such as Drogheda, Dundalk, Dublin city centre and Sligo.
“I think the future is bright for the businesspeople bringing their own experience to the table now, and they will appoint a CEO who will brand, network, and make a huge difference, hopefully, to the cultural and tourist attractiveness of Clonmel,” Cllr Fitzgerald said.
“I see this as something that the really hard work that the BIDs committee have been doing at their weekly meetings. One couldn’t be but so impressed by the way they are so enthusiastic about Clonmel and about bringing a whole new energy to Clonmel,” he added.
Fianna Fáil councillor for Thurles Michael Smith congratulated all the councillors in the Clonmel Borough District and said that they were to be credited with getting the ratepayers in Clonmel on board with the proposals.
“The exceptional leadership that you have shown over the period of time, for us as councillors listening to you, you made our job much easier because you united together in bringing this forward, and certainly the businesses responded to you,” he said.
The proposal to establish the BID in Clonmel was formally passed, with 32 of Tipperary’s 40 councillors voting in favour of it.