A new chapter for Nevada City?

The marketing organization was born in 2005 with the support of a slim majority of the business district. It was the mandatory assessment of fees that riled opponents the most.

While those who created and maintained the BID were well-intentioned, the organization never was able to get the support it needed to overcome the resistance that at times was unpleasant. It also created an emotional roadblock that undermined the group's efforts to do what they wanted to do, which was bring more business to Nevada City.

After four years of this acrimony, local leaders are working to put this chapter behind us while at the same time preserving a concept that hopefully will lead to more productive marketing efforts.

“The agreement for a renewed commitment to work together for the benefit of Nevada City” is the product of negotiations among the city, the chamber, the Downtown Business Association and a group called the Nevada City Business and Property Owners.

The document addresses three key points:

1) The Chamber will remain the official promotional agency for the city.

2) The Downtown Business Association will ask the City Council to eliminate the mandatory assessment fees levied against downtown businesses.

3) The Downtown Business Association will become a Chamber committee and work with its board of directors.

If these groups can get their memberships to support this agreement, their representatives will be asked to meet at the intersection of Broad and Pine streets to shake hands in a public display of unity.

Clearly, this agreement looks to be a giant step in the right direction for Nevada City. As one of our readers said last week, it's time to put the “unity in community.”