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Inauguration, Taxes, Nonprofits, Emergency Preparedness, Real Estate, and Golden Triangle
1. Metropolitan Police Announce Street Closures and No Parking Zones for Inauguration The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced that beginning on Sunday, January 16, 2005, through Friday, January 21, 2005 several events will be occurring in the District of Columbia associated with the 55th Presidential Inauguration. In conjunction with these scheduled events, extensive street closures and Emergency No Parking Areas have been established in several areas of the city. View the announcement for listings and maps from MPD related to the Inauguration. DC.Gov has also prepared an online Inauguration guide with links to useful information. Visit MPD.
2. OTR Reminds Businesses About Tax Forms and Online Filing District of Columbia tax forms for the 2005 tax-filing season are available for download from the Office of Tax and Revenue. Visit the Business Taxpayer Service Center to access the eTaxpayer Service Center (eTSC). The eTaxpayer Service Center (eTSC) provides secure access to your DC business tax information. As a registered eTSC customer, you may file tax returns, remit payment via credit card or electronic funds transfer*, view account balance information, and correspond with the Office of Tax and Revenue. The eTSC currently provides electronic filing for sales tax and withholding monthly filers. The site allows account inquiry and electronic payment across the following business tax accounts: Sales & Use, Franchise, Employer Withholding, and Personal Property. To assist with federal taxes, the government of the District of Columbia, partners with the US Internal Revenue Service, to provide an IRS Tax Center for small businesses and self-employed individuals. Specific federal tax topics of interest to small businesses are addressed including business structure, electronic tax filing, retirement plans, online tax courses and how to contact the local IRS office. Visit the IRS Tax Center. Visit OTR.
3. Strengthening Partners Initiative Participants Selected The Mayor's Office of Partnerships and Grants Development (OPGD) has selected 30 organizations for its 2004-2005 Strengthening Partners Initiative (SPI) program. SPI is a capacity building program that provides an opportunity for emerging nonprofit and faith-based organizations to attend customized training sessions, learn from experienced coaches, and develop new peer networks. The free one-year program is available to executive directors from organizations located and providing direct services in the District of Columbia. The new SPI participants were selected through a competitive application process to participate in the 2004-2005 SPI program. They represent all wards of the city and provide a wide variety of services, such as: music education; literacy; teen fitness; career development; arts appreciation; out-of-school suspension intervention; homeless services; HIV/AIDS programs; and more. View the announcement for more information and a list of SPI participants. Visit OPGD.
4. DCEMA to Conduct Community Emergency Exercises in Wards 1 through 6 The District of Columbia Emergency Management Agency (DCEMA) will conduct a series of community emergency management tabletop exercises for residents of neighborhoods in wards one through six, beginning January 8, 2005, and continuing on selected Saturdays through March 12, 2005. The exercises are designed to test the community emergency management plans developed by DCEMA for these neighborhoods. The exercises will give residents the opportunity to practice their response to an emergency in their neighborhood using the plan developed for their community. Representatives from city agencies will be present to assist participants in the exercise. DCEMA will use information gained from the exercises to update and revise the plans. Exercises for neighborhoods in Wards seven and eight were conducted in November 2004. Access the complete schedule. For more information or to register to take part in the exercises call (202) 673-2101, ext. 2200. To register online, go to the Community Emergency Management Exercises website. Visit DCEMA.
5. e-BIC Schedules Four Sessions on Buying and Selling Commercial Property As commercial property rents rise, DC communities are looking for ways to retain their longtime business owners and to help new business owners thrive. The solution is property ownership. When businesses own their property, they stay. The Enhanced Business Information Center's (e-BIC) January classes on Buying and Selling Commercial Property will give you powerful tools to overcome the four major obstacles faced by businesses intending to buy commercial property and by property owners planning to sell. You will learn to overcome the following obstacles: Obstacle #1: You, the business owner, need to have enough down payment for a loan. Solution: Learn more about the 504 loan program, which requires only 10% down payment (compared to 20% for standard loans), has a 20-year payback period and very competitive interest rates, in our monthly "504 Loan Information Session." Next class will be held January 27 at 6 pm at the e-BIC. Obstacle #2: You, the business owner, need to know how to approach the property owner and propose a deal. Solution: Learn a simple process for approaching your property owner and striking a deal in "Acquire your Business Property" Session. Next class will be held January 19 at 6 pm at the e-BIC. Obstacle #3: You, the business owner, are looking to relocate your business and need to find a new location. Solution: Learn how to look for, evaluate, and make a decision to buy commercial property in "Finding Commercial Property" Session. Next class will be held January 24 at 6 pm at the e-BIC. Obstacle #4: You, the property owner, are unsure of how to determine the right selling price for your property. Solution: Learn how to set property prices that are realistic in the marketplace and reflect your goals in "Setting the Right Price for your Commercial Property" Session. Next class will be held January 26 at 6 pm at the e-BIC. All classes are offered in the Video Conference Center of the Enhanced Business Information Center in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G Street, NW, across the street from Gallery Place and two blocks from Metro Center. Free parking is available in the basement garage. To access the garage parking, take H Street to 10th Street. Go south on 10th Street and take your first left onto G Place. Take a right into the library's parking garage. For more information, visit the e-BIC website or call (202) 727-2241. You can reserve a space by email or by calling (202) 727-2241.
6. Golden Triangle BID Releases New Retail and Dining Guide The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) announces the release of the 2005 Retail & Dining Guide. The guide is the most frequently requested BID publication. Over 40,000 guides will be distributed to area office workers, tourists and residents courtesy of the Golden Triangle BID’s ambassadors. The guides can also be found at BID building concierges, hotels and businesses. The guide includes an alphabetized index as well as listings by category to make locating a restaurant, store or service even easier. Need a number and haven’t picked up the guide? Log onto the BID’s website at the end of January and find the guide’s listings online. Formed in 1997, the Golden Triangle BID is a 42-block special services neighborhood in downtown DC whose primary focus is to provide a clean, safe and friendly environment for area workers and visitors, and to help retain and attract businesses. The Golden Triangle BID supplements basic city services and works to enhance the area in a number of key areas including: hospitality, homeless outreach, capital improvements, public safety and maintenance. Representing more than 4,000 businesses and 30 million square feet of office and retail space, the Golden Triangle is the second largest BID in the District.
7. DC Business Tools Available
 
8. View the BRC Bulletin Archives Previous editions of the BRC Bulletin newsletter feature articles for small businesses and nonprofits regarding incentives, training, licenses, procurement, commuting, emergency preparedness, and other topics. View the BRC Bulletin Archives.
Submit Feedback to brc@dc.gov
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