Wisconsin Dells BID Conservative Approach To Elm Street Closure Project

Residents of the Wisconsin Dells area are suggesting the Wisconsin Dells Down Town Business Improvement District Committee  (BID) would be looked upon more favorably if they took a much more conservative approach to the Elm Street Closure Project.  The Wisconsin Dells Down Town Business Improvement District Committee's insistence upon implementing the Elm Street Outdoor Plaza competes directly with two other large projects for scarce public resources.

The closure of Elm Street for a summer outdoor plaza is competing with :

- The Lake Delton Law Enforcement Building Alcan and Miller

- The High School Along Rocky Arbor State Park

This simply means as one project gets more of the available public resources - the other two projects get less of the available resources.  During the month of October the City of Wisconsin Dells Finance Committee meets for the annual budget process.  This is the time of year the massive Wisconsin Dells municipal debt is in the minds of the residents.  Residents seem to have a far more accurate grasp on the revenue producing capability of the short summer tourist season.

With the extensive amount of business modals closed for the off season - the Down Town Wisconsin Dells Business Improvement District Committee is struggling to demonstrate evidence of the effectiveness of their interventions.  The Wisconsin Dells Business Improvement District Committee implemented tighter regulations - this diminished the value of  individual operator creativity- while elevating the cost of doing business in Down Town Wisconsin Dells.

Municipal services must now be managed in a way that accounts for the lack of business in the Down Town Wisconsin Dells commercial district.  With the tightening of the free market in Down Town Wisconsin Dells the dip in business will require the City to add duties to existing staff rather than hiring additional employees.