The entity charged with revitalizing Provo's downtown is facing what may be its greatest challenge to date: finding a new source of funding.

The Municipal Council recently voted not to renew the property assessment that has financed the Downtown Business Alliance's budget after some downtown business owners said they felt they were being taxed unfairly.

Councilman George O. Stewart, a former Provo mayor, said it was not fair for the city to tax businesses to support an alliance that did not provide direct benefits. Stewart said the protesters at a recent council meeting represented 30 percent of the business district.

The council did agree to keep the alliance funded through September as it looks other sources of income. The alliance's director, Susan Bradford, said her board is considering several options, including soliciting donations. It's a shame to see those interested in the downtown district reduced to passing a hat.

Since 2001, the city has collected property taxes from each owner in the downtown business district to cover the alliance's $500,000 budget. Tax bills ranged from $175 to $10,000 a year. The alliance has helped with beautification projects and promotions. Of course, there is always more to be done, but now it may become more difficult to maintain the status quo, let alone do more.

In the 1970s, repeating a familiar pattern in cities across America, Provo's downtown took a hit with the opening of the University Mall. The downtown business tax was seen as one way to make improvements and sponsor programs that would keep the central district viable.

Since then, some business owners have felt -- not altogether unreasonably -- that they didn't receive any benefits because their businesses were not geared to walk-in customers. On the other hand, it's hard to make that case if the efforts of the downtown alliance have kept the district going in general. A law office or mortuary may not attract customers the same way as a restaurant or a bookstore, but all businesses in the downtown area, arguably, are helped by an attractive overall environment.

We applaud the efforts of the downtown alliance to date, and we worry that cutting off funding could have negative long-term effects.

The residents of Provo at large would be hurt if the downtown district were to slide downhill. A healthy community includes a combination of elements, and the historic downtown district should not be left to wither as other areas of town expand. It should be preserved and enhanced, particularly with the introduction of a new center for the arts.

A good argument can even be made that the financial burden for a vibrant downtown should be carried by all the citizens of Provo, not placed disproportionately on the shoulders of the downtown businesses.

The Municipal Council would be wise to take a broad view of this issue and revisit the funding question.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.