Batavia leaders, businesses compromise on tax levy

A plan to tax downtown Batavia properties to support the private not-for-profit MainStreet development agency moved forward Monday night, after including compromises suggested by downtown business leaders.

Last fall, the City Council proposed a 75-cent tax rate to raise $75,000 annually for MainStreet and $66,000 for unspecified improvements to downtown infrastructure.

Business leaders and landowners protested. They didn't like that there were no specific plans for the infrastructure spending, and some felt that not every business would benefit equally from any given improvement. They also wanted more properties included in the boundaries of the special tax district.

The city has given MainStreet $30,000 a year for several years, and increased it to $45,000 this year.

Under the new proposal, MainStreet would get $40,000 annually from the tax and $40,000 from the city. The infrastructure component was dropped.

Property owners and voters who live in the proposed tax district now have 60 days to file a petition to prevent the district from being formed. Fifty percent plus one of owners and voters would have to sign it.

If no valid petition is received, the council can then adopt the tax ordinance and levy the tax.

Mayor Jeff Schielke thanked the business and property owners who worked with the city staff on the revised proposal, or who spoke up in objection last fall.

"Batavia is postured that when the U.S. economy comes roaring back, we're going to be in a real strong position here to do some great things," he said, but it will need agencies such as MainStreet to carry out the city's mission to increase business downtown.

Earlier this summer, MainStreet estimated that there were about two dozen empty spaces downtown, with about 55,000 square feet available for offices, shops, storage and industrial uses.

MainStreet encourages efforts that strengthens the health and identity of the downtown district, calling the downtown "the heart of the community."

It has an office on Wilson Street. It runs the farmers market, conducted a campaign to encourage people to continue shopping at Batavia businesses during the inconvenience of the recent Wilson Street bridge reconstruction, is developing a "brand" concept for the downtown, and is taking inventory of downtown businesses to see what kinds, or clusters, of businesses are there and what types are missing.

The agency's four main volunteer committees focus on design, promotion, economic restructuring and organization. It won four awards in November at the state Illinois Main Street Downtown Revitalization conference.