Wheaton council candidates clash on infrastructure

If an expiring special tax district in downtown Wheaton is not replaced, the result will be a heavier tax burden on all Wheaton residents for infrastructure projects, city council hopeful Derek Bromstead warned during a candidates forum.

But one rival said his argument is “completely false” and comes from Bromstead's desire to serve his own interests.

Bromstead heads the Downtown Wheaton Association, a group primarily funded by a special service area that covers most of downtown and expires in April 2012. Later this year, the group will vote on whether to seek a replacement tax for that service area.

If it fails, Bromstead says future infrastructure work will fall on all taxpayers because the money coming in from a downtown tax increment financing district eventually will disappear.

“The money has to come from somewhere,” Bromstead said. “If there is no more money coming from the TIF, where is the money going to come from? It's going to come from all of the taxpayers.”

Bromstead will face off with Jeanne Ives, Alberta Adamson, Bob Molenhouse and Evelyn Pacino Sanguinetti for two at-large council seats in the April 5 election.

The special service area lies on portions of three TIF districts and, as a result, Bromstead estimates his downtown group gets about 40 percent of potential funding.

The rest goes to the TIF districts, which capture tax revenues on property value increases and reinvests them into the district.

The economic development group will receive $230,000 in funding with an additional $30,000 to hire a retail consultant.

Ives, a rival candidate and longtime DWA critic, says Bromstead's infrastructure argument is “disingenuous” because it oversimplifies a complex issue.

“(Infrastructure) is a bigger issue than the TIF and SSA,” she said. “It's disingenuous because he wants that DWA funding.”

City Manager Don Rose said payments for infrastructure programs depend on the projects. He said money for some infrastructure would not necessarily come from special service or TIF district money but that they are two of many options.

Either way, he said, the city must work to figure out how to maintain its road program funding, which was supplemented this year with about $500,000 from the general fund.

Infrastructure was near the top of the list when it came to topics at a Tuesday forum sponsored by the Wheaton League of Women Voters and Wheaton Chamber of Commerce.

Ives said any TIF district money not set aside to pay back debt should be used for infrastructure rather than seeking to promote specific business interest such as Wheaton Grand Theater, among other projects.

Sanguinetti repeated previous calls for the city to invest in fixing streets and sidewalks in front of businesses to attract customers. Molenhouse said keeping streets safe and fixed should be a core service the city provides. But he agreed with Adamson that the city has done a good job. Adamson added that she appreciates that there is plan in place to address some of the most troublesome areas.

But Ives said she remains concerned that officials continue to look at the TIF as a sort of bailout fund and questioned Bromstead's motivations.

“He doesn't care about infrastructure,” she said. “He's just asking for his special projects. This is not an endless pile of money.”