Stop in Downtown Augusta to window shop and some say you'll see too much graffiti and trash.

"Downtown is not as clean as it should be or as safe as it should be," said Loyd Sanford of the Downtown Development Authority.

That group and some business owners say the solution is a Business Improvement District. Under the plan, merchants would pay a fee each month for several years. The fee could be between $20 and $50 dollars for every $100,000 dollars the property is assessed.

A BID committee would then use the money for contracting services such as landscaping, graffiti removal, and foot patrols.

The plan drew heated debate from Downtown merchants Thursday night.

"I'm only hearing the good side of it," said property owner Joe Smith. "I wanna hear the bad side. You're talking about taxing my property for five years. That's a long time to tax my property to put something downtown."

Supporters of the plan say it's been successful in other cities. Many merchants say they want to hear from those who've seen the plan work and those who've seen it fail.

Members of the Downtown Development Authority will work to get the answers merchants want. They plan to have another public hearing in two to three months.