The Downtown Crossing Association is backing the creation of a Washington Street Business Improvement District, a designation that would allow property owners to increase services with paid dues.

Boston’s Downtown Crossing Association has thrown its membership and collective support behind the creation of a Washington Street Business Improvement District, a designation that would empower the group to levy an initial $3.6 million in dues and enhance what supporters say are inadequate public services.

Downtown Crossing, which would form the largest chunk of the district, is considered one of the top retail areas in the state, generating $76 million in commercial property tax revenue in 2002 alone. But despite its hefty contribution to the city’s coffers, members of the association and other supporters of the new district say that the neighborhood doesn’t see an equitable share of trash pickup, policing, marketing, street maintenance and social services.

“To continue to be an economic engine in Boston, [the Downtown Crossing shopping area] needs more,” said Samuel R. Tyler, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau.

But supporters have a long road ahead and the future of a Washington Street BID, which would be the first of its kind in Boston, is uncertain. The legislation, which only calls for the authorization of a vote by property owners in the proposed district, now sits in the jurisdiction of the Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor. Once minor issues are ironed out, the bill will likely be passed on to the Legislature and, if approved there, will finally move on to Gov. Mitt Romney’s desk.

Property owners within the area bordered by upper State Street, Chinatown, Tremont and Congress streets would then have their say on whether plans for the creation of the district should continue.

“The good news is that a lot of the property owners have properties in other cities with BIDs and understand the value,” said Anne Meyers, president of the Downtown Crossing Association, whose members include Filenes, Macy’s and the Druker Co., owner of the Corner Mall. “But we haven’t done a head count yet.”

Ronald Druker, a founding member of the Downtown Crossing Association, said that there’s a general feeling that the special district will be passed.

“This will be something that will solidify Downtown Crossing as a major shopping center in the city and a major resource by the community at large,” he said. “We feel comfortable that this is going to happen. I think it’s terrific for the city as a whole, especially Downtown Crossing.”

Donna DePrisco, who represents the more than 100 owners in the Jewelers Exchange Building at 333 Washington St. for the Downtown Crossing Association, envisions the Washington Street BID as a Disney World-like main street. Ambassadors would greet tourists and shoppers, all signage would be uniform, trash receptacles would be discreet and well maintained and potholes would be filled immediately. DePrisco said she hopes the result would be a revitalized entertainment and shopping Mecca that would bring people back into the downtown in the evenings.

This will be the second time around for the Washington Street BID. The first proposal, approved by property owners in the late 1990s, was struck down by state legislators, mainly because of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association’s concerns over lost jobs. The police union feared that the BID would hire its own security force. There was also uneasiness about the Boston version’s requirement that all businesses within the district contribute, unlike BIDs that have been established in Hyannis and Springfield that allow voluntary membership and dues.

But Tyler said those issues are already being working out. For example, the BID would be prohibited from hiring a public safety service. The group could, however, employ “ambassadors” – people stationed throughout the area equipped with walkie-talkie connections that would allow them to contact the local police. Tyler said that while they won’t perform police duties, they will instead serve as the “eyes and ears” of public safety officials.

However, individual businesses still won’t be able to opt out of the district.

“The feeling in Boston is, if you’re going to benefit then you should be responsible for paying,” Tyler said.

While the BID encompasses only commercial properties, Tyler said that residential property owners would be encouraged to contribute and participate in the process.

Annual dues for commercial landlords will vary based on the parcel size and building square footage, from $100 to more than $75,000 per year. A property owner with a 20,000-square-foot building on a 10,000-square-foot lot would pay $740 a year, according to Tyler.

‘Upside and Potential’

Some property owners say it’s worth it. Ken Gloss, owner of the Brattle Book Shop at 9 West St., said that the special district would provide extra attention to areas sometimes overlooked in a big city.

“The city does a great job but it’s always taxed,” he said. “If this can do that little extra … I think it will be worth it. The upside and potential is well worth the try, effort and experience.”

And, if property owners decide that they don’t like the business improvement district, they would be able to vote against its renewal at its five-year expiration date. While the special district is in place, the city would be required to provide the same level of services to the area as it does for the rest of the city, ensuring that the BID augments rather than replaces city services. Tyler said that, despite the extra private funding, reductions or increases in city services would be required along Washington Street at the same levels as other portions of the city.

There are more than 2,000 business improvement districts across the country. Most formed as a way to improve neglected neighborhoods, under the assumption that the city or town could not be the sole funding source for the needed improvements.

“That’s not the case here,” Tyler said. “This was a vibrant retail district already.”

But Boston remains one of the only major cities without a business improvement district. Passage will require approval of 75 percent of voting property owners – a group that must represent 51 percent of the area’s assessed property value.

During the first introduction of the special business district in 1998, property owners voted before the Legislature considered the issue. The resulting defeat in the Legislature has sparked a different approach this year – now legislators will be asked to vote before property owners enter the process. Meyers said it’s an expensive proposition, with mailings, marketing, public meetings and informational sessions. This time, they wanted to be sure that the state is behind them, literally and figuratively.

Meyers said that the BID plan had the necessary support of the property owners in 1998 and expects that they will again back the measure this time. But she’s not banking on a sure victory just yet.

“The majority of the property owners support it but a lot are new,” she said. “Several [properties] have changed hands.”