Supporting Southern Humboldt Strengthening Local Business
Connecting businesses, visitors, and our community to help Southern Humboldt thrive.
Empower Local Commerce
Drive Economic Growth
SoHumBID actively guides the formation of the Southern Humboldt Business Improvement District. We engage local businesses and stakeholders to build a resilient and vibrant community economy. Act now to strengthen your business’s future!
Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at info.so.hum.bid@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Link to Southern Humboldt Business Management Plan:
https://humboldt.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15332736&GUID=9AFB728D-D8A8-4B87-B382-399E6439608D
SHBID Management District Plan (Humboldt County, 3-24-26)
A Business Improvement District (BID) is a defined area where businesses work together to fund improvements, services and economic development efforts that benefit the local economy and community.
The goal is simple:
Keep local investment local.
Funds generated within the district would be reinvested back into Southern Humboldt and may support:
- Beautification and community improvements
- Marketing and promotion
- Economic development
- Grant writing
- Visitor information
- Events
- Wayfinding and signage
- Infrastructure advocacy
- Business support
- Other projects benefiting Southern Humboldt
Importantly, establishing the district also creates a formal, place-based Southern Humboldt organization capable of pursuing state, federal and other outside funding opportunities.
The proposal grew from years of discussions among local businesses, stakeholders and community members about Southern Humboldt's long-term economic challenges.
Those concerns have included business closures, economic decline, aging infrastructure, beautification needs, limited funding opportunities and the need for greater direct investment into Southern Humboldt.
The fundamental question became:
How do we create a sustainable mechanism for investment directly back into Southern Humboldt?
Humboldt County funded a feasibility process and engaged Civitas, a professional district-formation consulting group, to determine whether a district structure could be feasible for Southern Humboldt.
A volunteer Steering Committee subsequently formed to continue guiding the formation process.
The proposed Southern Humboldt Business Improvement District has gone through an extensive public process, with opportunities for businesses and community members to provide input, ask questions and raise concerns.
We are now in the final petition and outreach phase.
Signed petitions must be submitted to the County of Humboldt by October 1, 2026.
Because of where we are in the formal process, there is no longer the ability, or funding to completely redesign the proposal and begin again. However, the Steering Committee continues to listen and make adjustments where they are still possible.
Reaching the required 51% threshold during the petition process does not automatically form the Business Improvement District.
It allows the proposal to advance to the next stage of the formal formation process.
Additional required public processes must still take place before the district can officially be formed. These include consideration by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and additional opportunities for public participation as required through the formal district-formation process.
The petition is an important step, but it is not the final step.
If the required petition threshold is reached, the proposal advances through the remaining public process before a final decision regarding formation is made.
No.
The proposed 0.75% assessment is structured so that it can be passed through to the consumer at the point of sale.
It is legally classified as an assessment, rather than a general tax. The business facilitates collection of the assessment.
A business may choose to absorb the assessment rather than pass it through, but the structure allows it to be passed through to the consumer.
The revenue figures contained in the Management District Plan are projections.
The Steering Committee recognizes the economic realities currently facing Southern Humboldt. Businesses have closed, economic conditions have changed, and actual revenues generated by the assessment could be substantially lower than earlier projections.
While locally generated assessment revenue is important, the opportunity created through formation of the district extends beyond that revenue.
Establishing the district creates an organizational platform for Southern Humboldt capable of pursuing state, federal, grant and other outside funding opportunities.
Southern Humboldt has not previously had a district of this kind specifically positioned to pursue these opportunities on behalf of our region.
For the Steering Committee, establishing that platform is an important part of the long-term opportunity.
The Management District Plan establishes the overall framework for the proposed district.
It addresses foundational elements such as:
- District boundaries
- Purpose and authorized activities
- Assessment structure
- General governance
- How district funds may be used
The Management District Plan is not intended to contain every operational detail of how the future organization will function.
Many of those particulars would be addressed through the district's bylaws.
Bylaws are the more detailed operating and governance rules for an organization.
They can address matters such as:
- Board procedures and responsibilities
- Voting procedures
- Officer roles and terms
- Financial oversight
- Conflict-of-interest policies
- Committees and advisory structures
- Meeting and governance procedures
- Other operational requirements
The Management District Plan establishes the authorized framework for the district. The bylaws provide greater detail about how the organization operates within that framework.
The bylaws would be developed following formation of the district.
This provides an important opportunity to consider community input regarding many of the district's more specific operational and governance details.
If the district is successfully formed, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors would formalize the proposed district's Board of Directors.
An advisory structure can also be developed to ensure that perspectives from throughout Southern Humboldt continue to be represented.
Representation could include people from areas such as:
- Small and large businesses
- Lodging and hospitality
- Restaurants and retail
- Arts, culture and events
- Nonprofit and community organizations
- Healthcare and community services
- Tourism and recreation
- Agriculture and other locally based industries
- Communities throughout the district
- Other community stakeholders
The goal is to build a structure that is representative of Southern Humboldt, rather than one driven by a single organization, industry or interest.
No.
Formation establishes the district and its foundational framework. It does not end community participation.
Many operational details can continue to be developed through the bylaws, Board of Directors, advisory participation and future public processes.
At this stage, the Steering Committee is working within the formal process, available resources and October 1 deadline while continuing to listen to businesses and the community.
Where adjustments can still responsibly and legally be made, we are working to make them.
Where concerns involve future operations and governance, those conversations can continue as the bylaws and organizational structure are developed.
The proposed Southern Humboldt Business Improvement District will be governed through a 501(c)(6) nonprofit business organization established to administer the district in accordance with the approved Management District Plan, bylaws and applicable requirements.
Because the organization would administer a district funded through an assessment, it would operate with public accountability and oversight requirements that go beyond those of a typical private nonprofit business organization.
This includes compliance with applicable requirements of California's Ralph M. Brown Act, which governs open meetings of local public bodies. Board meetings and decision-making regarding district business would therefore be subject to applicable public-meeting, notice, agenda and participation requirements.
The organization would also be responsible for appropriate financial oversight, reporting and accountability for the use of assessment funds. Assessment revenues could only be used in accordance with the purposes and activities authorized for the district.
In other words, while the administrative organization would be structured as a 501(c)(6), the district would not simply operate like a private organization behind closed doors. Its administration of assessment funds brings with it public-accountability requirements intended to provide transparency and public access to the district's decision-making process.
The organization would provide the structure for managing district programs and funds, pursuing outside funding opportunities, and carrying out projects and services benefiting Southern Humboldt.
The goal is to create a locally focused organization with financial oversight, public accountability, community participation and representation from the businesses and communities it serves.
The Management District Plan establishes how funds generated through the district may be used.
District assessment revenue is intended for the district and does not simply become unrestricted County General Fund revenue.
The purpose is to invest those resources into projects, services and economic-development efforts benefiting Southern Humboldt.
In simple terms:
What is generated here is invested here.
The Steering Committee did not create the underlying business list.
The list was developed using tax and sales-tax records, and the Steering Committee does not have unilateral authority to alter those records.
Southern Humboldt's business landscape has changed considerably, and some businesses included in earlier data may no longer be operating.
This is another reason actual assessment revenue may be lower than projections contained in earlier planning documents.
The Steering Committee currently has no dedicated funding for a website, staff or administrative support.
The Steering Committee is entirely volunteer-based. Its members are contributing their time to the formation process while also managing their own businesses, jobs and community responsibilities.
The Committee's available resources are therefore focused on the petition process, business outreach, education and meeting the October 1 deadline.
*The steering committee decided recently that a website would be a a good resource to house information such as this.Therefore, the steering committee has taken additional time to produce the website
Because formation of the district and operation of the future district are two different stages.
The Steering Committee's current responsibility is to guide the formation process.
If the district is formed, its Board of Directors, bylaws, advisory structure and operating procedures would provide greater specificity regarding how the organization functions.
The immediate goal is to establish the platform.
From there, Southern Humboldt can continue shaping how that platform works for our businesses, our communities and the long-term economic vitality of our region.
- Humboldt County / unincorporated areas: 8.75%
- Ferndale: 9.50%
- Fortuna: 9.50%
- Rio Dell: 9.50%
- Trinidad: 9.50%
- Blue Lake: 9.75%
- Arcata: 10.25%
- Eureka: 10.25%
Fortuna has placed Measure D on the November 3 ballot, seeking an additional 0.75%. If approved, Fortuna's rate would increase from 9.50% to 10.25%.
For comparison, unincorporated Humboldt County is currently at 8.75%. With our proposed 0.75% BID assessment, the comparable percentage would be an additional POS .75% line item added on the receipt, totaling 9.50%.
That means Southern Humboldt would still be below Blue Lake at 9.75%, below Arcata and Eureka at 10.25%, and, if Fortuna's Measure D passes, 0.75% below Fortuna as well.
Rather than being tied with Fortuna at 9.50%, Fortuna would move to 10.25%, leaving Southern Humboldt at 9.50% and still among the lowest overall rates in Humboldt County.
Steering Committee Members
Rio Anderson
Samantha Montoya Wilson
Laura Lasseter
Owner - Chautauqua Natural Foods
Laura Lasseter
Samantha Montoya Wilson
Laura Lasseter
Director of Operations - SHBVB
Samantha Montoya Wilson
Samantha Montoya Wilson
Samantha Montoya Wilson
Founder - My Humboldt Abode
Trent Sanders
Shanon Taliaferro
Eryn Snodgrass
Local Business Owner
Eryn Snodgrass
Shanon Taliaferro
Eryn Snodgrass
Owner - Brass Rail Bar & Grill
Shanon Taliaferro
Shanon Taliaferro
Shanon Taliaferro
Local Business Owner
Enoch Tatton
Carolyn Jordan
Carolyn Jordan
Local Business Owner
Carolyn Jordan
Carolyn Jordan
Carolyn Jordan
Retired Business Owner
Damond Edwards
Carolyn Jordan
Damond Edwards
Founder - SoHum Youth Sports Assoc.
Accessibility statement
The proposed Southern Humboldt Business Improvement District (SoHum BID) is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people of all abilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards to make our website usable by the widest possible audience, including people with disabilities.
Our commitment
We aim for this website to conform to Level AA of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities and more user-friendly for everyone.
Measures we take to support accessibility
SoHum BID takes the following measures to ensure accessibility:
- Including accessibility as part of our mission and values
- Assigning clear accessibility goals and responsibilities
- Employing formatting and design practices that support screen readers and other assistive technologies
- Providing alternative text for meaningful images
- Using sufficient color contrast between text and background
- Structuring pages with clear headings and consistent navigation
- Reviewing new content and features for accessibility before publishing
Conformance status
We believe this website is largely conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. "Largely conformant" means that some parts of the content may not fully conform to the accessibility standard, and we are actively working to address these areas.
Feedback
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of the SoHum BID website. If you encounter an accessibility barrier, or if any content or feature is not accessible to you, please let us know:
- Email: info.so.hum.bid@gmail.com
Please include the specific web page, a description of the issue, and the browser or assistive technology you were using, if possible. We try to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 business days.
Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology
This website is designed to be compatible with:
- Recent versions of major browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
- Screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver
- Browser zoom and text-resizing tools up to 200% without loss of content or functionality
Content is not guaranteed to be accessible with outdated browser versions or unsupported assistive technology.
Known limitations
Despite our best efforts, some content on this site may not yet be fully accessible. Known limitations may include:
- PDF documents or scanned files that have not yet been made fully accessible
- Third-party content, maps, or embedded tools that are outside our direct control
- Older archived content published before this accessibility statement was adopted
We are actively working to identify and remediate these issues. If you experience difficulty accessing any content, please contact us using the information above and we will provide the information in an alternative format in a reasonable timeframe.
Formal complaints
If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility feedback, you may file a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing or the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.
Technical specifications
Accessibility of the SoHum BID website relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.
Assessment approach
SoHum BID assesses the accessibility of this website through the following approaches:
- Self-evaluation
- Automated accessibility scanning tools
- Periodic manual review
Subscribe
Get 10% off your first purchase when you sign up for our newsletter!
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.