2 votes could give Batavia library another shot at $100,000 from village
Whether the Batavia Public Library District gets $100,000 from the city to fix and remodel an outdoor staircase may hinge on what alderman-elect Michael Russotto and Alderman Carl Fischer think of the plan.
The council's committee of the whole on Tuesday voted 7-6 against the idea, but Fischer was absent. And one of the “no” votes, Alderman Lisa Clark, ends her term in office Thursday. Her replacement, Russotto, will be sworn in Monday night before the council votes on the matter.
Aldermen Marty Callahan, Kyle Hohmann, Jamie Saam, Kevin Botterman, Nick Cerone and Drew McFadden voted against the idea.
Last week, Fischer said he was inclined to oppose using tax-increment financing money to pay for the work.
If the council has a tie vote Monday, Mayor Jeff Schielke could vote to break it. Schielke favors giving the library the money.
Callahan and Stark sparred Tuesday. Callahan had asked people, in person and via Facebook, what they thought of spending the money, either from the TIF District 3 fund or from a land sale in 2014. Respondents overwhelmingly told him they money shouldn't be spent, he said.
But Stark questioned how many people Callahan had heard from. She said people usually only contact their aldermen when they are displeased about something, and that the number is small compared to the town's population.
“Do you think that everybody who is going to pick up a phone and call you is going to say 'yes?'” Stark said.
Schielke said he sees it as “the library is asking us to detour some of the money” it would have gotten in property taxes if it weren't in a TIF district.
In a TIF district, property tax payments received by public bodies, such as the library district, are frozen. Any incremental increase in property taxes generated by the land in the district is instead funneled to pay for improvements that increase the value of the properties in the district. Typically, TIFs last 23 years, although Batavia has extended the life of TIF District 3 to 35 years.
The staircase work started last week. Besides repairing them, the library is widening the entrance at the top of the staircase. Library and city officials believe that will provide a more inviting view of the library from the intersection of Water and Wilson streets and entice library patrons to walk in when they're downtown.
Callahan objected because the city has projected that the TIF District 3 fund may soon have to borrow money from the city's general fund to pay for expected expenses for other projects downtown. Those include the Houston Street streetscape work the city plans to do this summer, and the incentives being provided to Walgreens to build a replacement store on Wilson.
He also said he doesn't think it wise to spend the money because the city is facing a potential loss of income-tax money if Gov. Bruce Rauner's plan to halve the amount sent to cities is passed.
“It (the staircase) is not a requirement to keep the library functioning,” Callahan said.
Resident Rob Hollis agreed. “If we were to make a list, I'm not sure widening the stairs would be in the top 100” of things to spend money on, he said.