Grinch economy may mean less Yule decor in Batavia

The city of Batavia may put up a lot fewer Christmas decorations this year, to save money.

The city services committee Tuesday recommended that instead of spending an estimated $40,000 in labor and $6,000 in materials, the city spend only $10,000 total.

"I'm looking at the fact that we're looking at wage freezes and rollbacks (for city workers). I like the lights at Christmas, but I think we really need to go with the minimal," said Chairman James Volk. "I would certainly rather cut Christmas trees than people's jobs."

Batavia laid off seven people this year, and has frozen wages, to try to avoid deficit spending, as its sales tax revenues have dropped due to the sour economy.

The full city council will vote on the matter Oct. 5.

For nearly 60 years, small lighted Christmas trees, attached by steel rings, adorned 75 streetlights in an area bounded roughly by Main, Houston, Lincoln and Prairie streets. Last year, the city changed over to garlands on all the poles, lighted wreaths and LED snowflakes on the ones on the bridge over the Fox River, the Christmas trees on the ones on Houston, and red velvet bows on the rest.

Public works director Gary Holm proposed only putting the greens, bows, snowflakes and lights on a two-block stretch from Island Avenue to River Street. He also proposed continuing to put a tree on Clark Island, and decorating the Mayor's Tree at the Batavia Government Center, as usual.

Batavia MainStreet director Britta McKenna urged, however, that whatever the city spends, it spread the decorations throughout the downtown. Last year, Route 31 merchants felt they were shortchanged, as that area only got garland and bows.

"They already feel like they are not part of things," McKenna said.

The committee recommended that McKenna, Holm and Alderman Lisa Clark meet to work out how best to decorate, should the city council approve the plan.

McKenna said MainStreet could ask businesses to donate money to have more street decorations, and to outline their store windows with white lights. Mayor Jeff Schielke said someone who liked the old decorations has talked to him about donating money to bring those trees back.

The city electrical department puts up and takes down the decorations. In years past, it has cost as much as $88,000 in wages and associated benefits, but the cost dropped to $45,000 last year, as the new decorations took less time.