Palatine turns focus to business community

The candidates who ran in the local election last April largely focused their platforms on ways to make Palatine a more business friendly community.

Ten months later, the village is putting into place economic development measures aimed at just that.

"We have a good track record of meeting with the residents and getting feedback out of neighborhoods," Village Manager Reid Ottesen said at Tuesday's village council meeting. "Now we want to reach out to the business community ... they're the ones driving sales tax dollars into our community, keeping our property tax rate lower and creating jobs."

For one, the revamped village Web site now includes a directory that lists businesses, as well as their contact information, location, hours, Web site, picture and a detailed description. The directory currently includes only a fraction of the 1,800 or so businesses holding licenses with the village, so companies are being asked to complete a free online submission form.

To better understand the current issues facing businesses, the village is also going to conduct an online survey. The goal is to obtain insight into specific businesses and identify trends and changes within the business community. The survey would also provide an opportunity for feedback regarding village services and programs.

More difficult to track down will be the businesses not required to secure business licenses with the village, such as law offices.

Finally, officials like freshman Councilman Aaron Del Mar are especially excited about the proposed business retention program, which he made a top priority on the campaign trail. Village staff plans on using existing resources to visit with multiple businesses each year to better understand the needs of each business and identify and address strengths and weaknesses related to Palatine's services.

New Councilman Jim Clegg, who last month took over for Dan Varroney, also suggested holding a local business forum.

The discussion didn't focus on ways to attract new business to the village, something Mayor Jim Schwantz called for when he campaigned, but officials stressed these programs are just the first step.