Downtown Association of Yakima Could Get $100,000

The city of Yakima could decide to give the Downtown Association of Yakima (DAY) a late Christmas present, which could also save the city thousands of dollars on next year's taxes.

The DAY would get $100,000 from the city now that it is considered a Washington State Main Street Community.

With that money, the association plans to do a lot to upgrade the image of the area and draw more businesses downtown.

Yakima Economic Director Sean Hawkins says, "This is our opportunity to, rather than giving the state $100,000 in public utility tax, this is our chance to just keep it locally and let those guys use it to help our downtown growth."

Last month the state named Yakima's downtown corridor a Main Street Community, following in the footsteps of Ellensburg and Walla Walla. It allows the city to work with the DAY and get a significant tax break next year while pouring funds right back into the community. The city will give the association the money.

The DAY will then put it into marketing, promotion and business development downtown, and since they have the title of a State Main Street Community, the city gets a $100,000 tax break next year.

The city will decide whether to go forward with this transaction at tonight's City Council meeting. After that the money will be put back into the community, rather than going to the state's general fund as it already does.