Mayor says Lisle is weathering financial storm

In the midst of a state budget crisis and a still troubled economy, Lisle Mayor Joe Broda says his village “must be doing something right” to attract major corporations and keep a lid on taxes.

“We are still in a good position considering the economic downturn,” Broda told the Lisle Chamber of Commerce Thursday during his State of the Village address. “We have belt-tightening issues like everyone, but our relative position remains strong.”

Broda pointed to recent decisions by Navistar and SunCoke to move their national headquarters to Lisle.

SunCoke, which makes metallurgic coke used in steel production, is expected to move from Knoxville, Tenn., to Arboretum Lakes by May with 105 employees.

Navistar is moving into the former 1.2 million-square-foot Alcatel-Lucent site, also making $110 million in improvements to the campus, Broda said. He said Navistar will bring 2,800 jobs to the village and also generate sales tax revenue for hotels and businesses.

Smaller businesses are also on Lisle’s radar, Broda said. The village awarded grants to retailers such as John Dough’s bakery, which received $20,000 to renovate and reopen the former Upper Crust. Lisle also launched its Green by Choice program less than a year ago, and now more than 70 businesses are involved with projects such as environmental audits of their shops.

Those business developments will help offset others that are closing shop in Lisle, Broda said, primarily car dealerships such as Acura, Jeep, Dodge and Infiniti.

Broda also lauded downtown development that includes new businesses and the Prairie Walk Pond and Dragonfly Landing that offer walking trails and recreation for residents. The pond also offers functional water retention for 2.5 million gallons.

“You talk about planning for the future and this is it,” Broda said. “Now when development starts happening again as the economy picks up, water storage will be ready.”

Broda said the village has adjusted to lower sales tax, building permit and state income tax revenues. The village froze wages in 2009 and 2010 for nonunion employees, kept operating expenses steady, and skipped spending on capital equipment and projects.

He also noted that 24 DuPage County towns impose more taxes and fees than Lisle, which forgoes charges such as vehicle stickers and amusement taxes, among others.

“This shows we’re not taxing our residents to death,” said Broda. “We are responsive to the needs of the community and we are trying to do the best we can with the little we have.”