Mayor's View: Freeport has visions for the future
As the 2021 year is quickly coming to a close, the city council has several very important items remaining: passage of the 2022 budget and corporate levy, boundary extension for the enterprise zone, and passage of the strategic vision and goals for the next few years.
Balancing a budget has been a top priority with the council, as well as city staff. We anticipate approving a balanced budget the beginning of December, as well as the tax levy for 2021 paid in 2022.
During the past four years, we have tried to lessen or keep our tax rate the same. The tax rate is the amount levied on property. A home that has not seen an increase in assessed value has been paying the same or less in the city’s portion of the property tax bill for each of the last four years. I am happy to announce that the city’s tax rate will remain the same as last year.
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We strive to keep high quality services to our constituents by applying for grants and seeking forgivable loans. We’re committed to stretching our tax dollars and avoid raising the property tax rate.
However, with Freeport’s Home Rule status at risk, we may not be able to continue avoiding property tax increases to raise revenue for the city.
Our Home Rule sales tax lifts the burden of generating revenue from the Freeport residents, and makes visitors, shoppers and tourists pay a share of Freeport’s services. This 1% sales tax contributes over $3.6 million to the city’s general fund. Meanwhile, our property tax levy only contributes $2.5 million. Losing our Home Rule sales tax would drastically cut back the city’s budget and limit the ways the city can generate revenue.
The city of Freeport is a member of the Northwest Illinois Enterprise Zone. To help with development, we will be requesting a boundary extension to include the potential condominium development on Park Boulevard, the Meadows Mall on West Avenue, as well as the new site of Hy-Vee, formerly the old K-Mart building.
Having the zone extend to these areas will give them an opportunity to apply for sales tax relief for materials purchased for their projects and potential property tax abatement. The enterprise zone designation would give all these developments an additional tool in improving their property.
Late this summer, the council, city manager and myself met for a series of strategic planning sessions. Freeport’s strategic vision is the city’s guide to help shape the work of the city, both internally for staff and externally to address the community’s needs. The framework guides all plans that are being created within the city departments, setting the direction for implementation. The vision is to forecast, what would we want Freeport to look like in 2040.
“Freeport is a destination of choice. Our innovative city boasts an entrepreneurial economy with vibrant and safe neighborhoods. Freeport supports an abundant of educational, cultural and outdoor experiences for all residents including visitors. Our community is connected, accessible and welcoming. There are opportunities and growth for all.”
As I’ve said before, plan your work and work your plan. So along with a plan there are key strategies to implement over the next few years to help us reach that vision. There are nine priority areas that the city staff and council will be focusing on.
First is Thriving Neighborhoods. Our vision is for Freeport’s neighborhoods to be affordable with a small-town feel that attracts families and a growing workforce. Each neighborhood connected to the many parks and recreation areas.
Our downtown is revitalized, supporting a wide variety of shops, restaurants and businesses. Our commercial corridors host a mix of businesses that meet the needs of the community while attracting regional commerce.
To help us get there, a few of the key strategies are continuing and implementing the street improvement plan, demolition/blight reduction plan, water/sewer/storm sewer improvements, tree removal/replacement program as well as continuing to streamline and enhance code enforcement.
Another area of priority is Safe and Welcoming Community. The vision is our community is safe and welcoming. Our police, fire and emergency management systems are well equipped and staffed by a team of people who foster a community service approach to their work, resulting in lower crime rates and faster response times.
The community appreciates and supports their work. People from all backgrounds feel welcome in any part of our community. The city’s policies and practices encourage equity and inclusion. So how do we move in a direction to get to that vision?
We work on the key strategies of increased police force census to support proven strategies such as community policing and gang units. We hire and retain a diverse team in police, fire and throughout city staff to reflect the community we serve. We deploy technology to reduce gun violence and improve efficiency of the police force. We evaluate the fire department structure, equipment, and capital needs vs similar communities. We ensure neighborhoods and buildings are well kept to help change the narrative around safety in our community.
There are seven other areas of priority that have been identified, including Responsive, Efficient Government; Connected and Accessible Community; Strong Public/Private Partnerships; Growing Entrepreneurial Economy; Quality Communication and Engagement; Effective Land Use; and Vibrant Arts and Culture Experiences.
The entire Strategic Vision can be found on the city’s webpage at cityoffreeport.org, and I would encourage our constituents to read it. I would hope that you would share our vision of what Freeport could look like in the future.
Let love and kindness be your motivation in all you do and together we can show the world that Freeport is a great place to live, work and play. Thank you for being a part of it.
Jodi Miller is mayor of Freeport.
This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Mayor’s View: Freeport has visions for the future
