Rockford Sun

At the April 3 Belvidere City Council meeting, city officials discussed how much of their budget should be allocated to Growth Dimensions, an economic development organization in Boone County that partners with other local municipalities and organizations to help facilitate growth and business in the area.

The proposed contribution to the organization from the City in the upcoming fiscal year was $20,000, which is lower than it has been in the past and was upsetting to many council members.

There were proposed amendments to the budget to increase that contribution amount. Alderman Daniel Snow wanted to return the amount to $55,000, stating that those contributions were helping to create and expand business and jobs in the area, which is what the City is seeking to do through their financial support. Other aldermen were upset about the City raising some city workers' salaries and decreasing the contributions to Growth Dimensions. Still other councilmembers wanted to create a more conservative budget due to the financial uncertainty of the past year and that expected in the future. They were in favor of cutting the contribution to be able to protect essential services.

"I think this is the best time to make sure that we don't cut the economic growth that's actually going to bring revenue to the city, bring more jobs, bring more opportunities for people," Alderman Matt Fleury said. "So I think when the budget's heard, I don't think we cut the thing that actually generates revenue." 

After much deliberation, the council took a vote on raising the contribution amount to $55,000, and the vote failed. Another amendment was proposed, an increase to $45,000 as a compromise in only increasing the amount by $25,000. That resulted in a tied vote, which the mayor declared as a failure to pass, siding with those against increasing the amount. No other amendments or ideas were proposed, and the council passed the budget for approval, leaving the contribution at $20,000.