The Provo Downtown Alliance may soon receive the funding promised by the City Council in October to appease local business owners.

The council voted in October to discontinue funding for the program based solely on required contributions from business owners.

During the study session Tuesday evening, the City Council reviewed key components of an agreement between the city and the alliance, which will receive a final vote Jan. 8.

The agreement entitles the alliance to $150,000 annually, paid for by Provo city and voluntary contributions from business owners in the district. Although almost 40 percent of business owners in the district opposed a mandatory fee, many of the same said they would be happy to contribute on a voluntary basis.

The city will appropriate funds for the alliance in three stages between January and April to fund work by the alliance between July 2007 and June 2008. The agreement will be up for renewal each year, and the alliance will be accountable to the city for its services.

Each year the agreement is effective, the Downtown Alliance will submit a written report of its "Economic Promotion Activities," as well as the costs of activities performed by the alliance.

As outlined in the contract, the Downtown Alliance will consist of representatives and/or business owners from the district. The alliance will be responsible for keeping the downtown area clean and attractive, as well as actively promoting the area to businesses and visitors.

Councilman George Stewart said the agreement's broad parameters have evolved well to meet the needs of the downtown area.

"I think the general agreement on the council is this is what we want to see," he said.

The study session also focused on appropriations for construction at the Provo airport. Much of the work is in preparation for one day providing service to a higher number of customers.

"We really need it now, but we try to build it keeping in mind that we may need more in the future," said public works director Merril Bingham.

Although airport officials have long acknowledged the need to expand its fire station to meet requirements of larger airports, the process was expedited after the powerful windstorm in August 2006.

Instead of repairing the damaged fire station, the city elected to replace it altogether. In Tuesday's study session, the council looked at appropriating more money to the project, which Bingham said should be complete by the new year.

The new fire station will have three bays for the airport's two fire trucks and a snow plow, as opposed to the old station, which only had room for one of the trucks.

"It's built to accommodate a larger firefighter presence," Bingham said.

The insurance money for the damaged fire station should have amounted to $300,000, Bingham said, but the city has only received just over $188,000.

In order to finish the project, Bingham asked the council to appropriate $187,000. If the city does collect more money from insurance, any extra funding would go back to the city's general fund.

Bingham also asked the council for more money to complete construction of more T-hangars at the airport, which he said will pay for themselves in the year to come. The hangars should also be complete by the new year, at which point the city can charge over $300 per month to lease them to pilots.

"The last T-hangars we built were 40 to 50 years ago," he said. "We have a waiting list of about 40 people who would like to use T-hangars."

Bingham said the city's initial budget for the project was wishful thinking, and an additional $138,000 is needed to finish the hangars.

Appropriation for the airport construction was also moved to Jan. 8 for a vote by the council.