Name: Tara Bedei

Age: 39

Years of residency in city: 37 years (left for college and 2 years after)

Occupation: Factory manager

Previously elected positions: Streator City Council. Appointed in 2013, elected in 2015.

Contact information for voters: My Facebook page facebook.com/councilwomanbedei or by phone 815-674-4349

Why have you decided to run for council and what goals do you plan to work toward?

I’ve decided to run for my second term as council member to continue the city’s current path. I believe in using economic development tools and tourism to increase revenues to the city. I also believe in being fiscally responsible to our citizens. Another item that I would like to continue work towards is following our strategic goals and five-year plans and continuing to implement actions to meet the goals set forth.

What sets you apart from your opponents?

I’m the youngest person on the current council, and the youngest person running. I believe that I try to keep an open mind and research items thoroughly as they come up. I’d say I’m very analytical, because I believe in using facts and data to make decisions. My career in manufacturing, as an engineer and now factory manager, allows me to understand the needs of industry in the community. I also keep a Facebook page as a member of the council to share meeting agendas, announcements, and other news from the city with the citizens. I feel that this helps with transparency in our local government.

The city of Streator has the highest property tax rate in La Salle County, is there any reason you would vote to increase property taxes? Do you believe the city can increase property taxes and remain competitive with other surrounding communities? 

The city of Streator has been working to reduce our property tax levy for the last five years. In my time on the council, we have not raised the levy. From 2013 to 2019, our levy has decreased by nearly $120,000. I do believe that it is hard to remain competitive with surrounding communities when having a higher tax rate. The current council has identified this as an issue and has been working on ways to increase other revenues and to reduce costs. I would only vote to raise taxes if there were no other solutions available.

Map how the city of Streator should pay for its unfunded pension obligation. Are cuts to public safety staff necessary? Why or why not?

The current unfunded liability sits just over 20 million dollars with a deadline of 90 percent funding by the year 2040. If no changes are made, the annual pension payments for police and fire will triple from 2018 to 2040 in Streator. Other communities have raised property taxes, added pension fees, and even laid off employees in an effort to fund their pensions. In Streator, the council has been looking at ways to provide services without increasing taxes and without laying off staff. One approach has been to control costs through attrition and to look at staffing changes — whether it be part-time officers, CSOs, or blended staffing in the fire department.

At this point in time, I feel strongly that we should plan for the worst and hope for the best. It is my belief that we, as a city, need to carry on as if the state will not make significant changes to the pension system. The city has committed to putting in additional funding this year. However, this will get harder each year as the pension ramp increases. Within the next few years, the city is going to reach a point where additional manpower will need to be cut or revenues (either through growth or taxation) will need to increase to cover the deficit.

If reform does happen at the state level, then we should take action accordingly. As recently as Thursday, March 21, there were talks by Illinois lawmakers regarding consolidating the state’s 656 local downstate police and firefighter pension funds into a single system. Whether this comes to fruition or not shall be seen.

Should the city of Streator consider a referendum to increase sales tax? Why or why not?

At this point, I disagree with raising the sales tax. I believe this should only be a last-ditch effort. In most people’s typical day-to-day purchases, a small increase would not make a large impact. However, with large purchases such as appliances, furniture, building materials, etc., the sales tax increase could be prohibitive to keeping those sales in the community. Streator has just seen the highest sales tax returns in years for calendar year 2018. I would be concerned that increasing it now may deter that growth.

Another consideration would be the recent Supreme Court case of South Dakota vs. Wayfair. This decision impacts online sales that currently go untaxed. Moving ahead, states will be able to require retailers to collect state sales taxes on their transactions, whether they have a presence in the state or not. I believe that the decision to go forward with a referendum should be held off until we understand the implications that this brings to the state of Illinois, and if that will filter down to local forms of government.

The city faces a structural deficit of $500,000 by 2020, what alternative forms of revenue should be explored?

We should explore anything and everything. We’ve begun to explore municipal aggregation as an additional revenue source. Sales tax revenue from 2014 to 2018 increased by over $265,000. With the expansion of retail and new businesses, this should continue to grow.

The addition of a new hotel should also generate additional revenue by capturing more of the business travelers, who now choose to stay elsewhere. The average overnight guest also spends on average $180 per in fuel, food, entertainment, and shopping – all generating sales tax and pillow tax. Another potential revenue source is through agreements with our enterprise zone. Our wind energy revenues end next year, but there is a possibility that another project could come along that would replace it.

What do you want the image of Streator to be?

Streator’s image should be of a good-natured city on the rise. I boast about our volunteers and community spirit. No matter the cause, Streatorites always come together to help each other. We’ve also started to see the revitalization of our downtown. New businesses are popping up. Current businesses are expanding. I’ve noticed this, and so have others in our region. I was recently at a meeting out of town and was asked “What is going on in Streator? There is so much good happening that I want to know your secret.” This is exactly the image that I want us to have – where others take notice and want to emulate what is going on.

What’s your vision for Streator’s downtown?

I’d like to see Streator’s downtown continue to grow. I’ve been a member of the START group since its launch in 2014. This group was created as part of our downtown redevelopment plan. We began with items such as the facade grants and the concept block. Since, we’ve worked on identifying retail sales leakage and working to attract businesses to fill those gaps. The upcoming construction from the ITEP grant will see the streetscape work expanded and Monroe and Vermilion Streets turned back into two-way streets. The growth in the last three to four years has been wonderful to see. I’m also the chair of the Walldogs group that created 18 new murals last summer. Our hope is to continue bringing arts and beautification to Streator. My vision would be to see continued growth, more arts (murals,sculptures, and more), an upscale restaurant, and more festivities.

Do you believe TIF districts are the best tool for economic development? Why or why not? If not, what alternative would you propose?

TIF districts are a great tool for economic development. They’ve helped with the new Alzheimer's unit on the east side, Northpoint, downtown improvements, and the recently announced Vactor expansion. Other tools are also just as important and are very effective when combined with TIF. The enterprise zone is another tool that offers property tax abatement, investment tax credit, jobs tax credit, and sales tax exemption. Streator also has the only opportunity zone in the county. This new tool, created in 2018, is designed to spur economic development by providing tax benefits to investors. The Proposed Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program was also implemented just this year. This program is a mechanism for financing energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements and then paying back the costs over time. It is my opinion that the more tools available, the better chances we have to be successful.

What can the city do to attract the millions of visitors who come within a 30-mile radius either to Starved Rock State Park or along Route 66?

As I member of Streator Tourism, I can say that this is a work in process. We advertise the city to potential visitors by placing ads in the Heritage Corridor guide, the Starved Rock Country Magazine, Travel Illinois, and the Illinois Route 66 Visitors Guide. Now that we have more than 20 murals in our downtown, I have been working on a Route 23 mural tour. The plan would be to have a tour from Pontiac to Ottawa, or vice versa.

What’s the future for Anderson Fields Municipal Golf Course? Should the city continue to operate a golf course there?

My opinion on the golf course has remained the same. It is a nice course, and it helps create needed greenspace at the north end of the town. However, I would like to see the losses decrease and it to come closer to breaking even. I would like to see a five-year plan for this, as we have done with most other departments. Recently, the city has appointed an ad-hoc committee to help the city identify potential improvements and savings to the course. It is my hope that this helps to close that gap.

How would you grade the public services the city provides? What does the city do well, how can it improve?

I would rate the services as a A-/B+, as there is always room for improvement. Overall, the city employees do a great job for the community with the tools and funds that are available to them. For our services, I based my opinion on the feedback that get from citizens. A newer service that has gone over well is the “At your door” recycling service for electronics and household chemicals. It allows for citizens to call and set up a pick item date for items, and no longer need to hold on to items until an e-recycling day. Other positive feedback has been given for the following items; the relaunch of school resource officers from our police department, the vial of life program and citywide smoke detectors through the fire department, the social media presence from public works, and the conversion from a part-time to a full-time animal control officer. Our department heads have been creating their five-year plans, and working towards implementation. I think this is best practice to set the goals and to update these annually. Street repair can be improved. The roads disintegrate faster than we can fund the repairs to them.

Streator had the highest rate of opioid overdoses in La Salle County in 2017, what can the City Council do to improve this number?

The City Council can partner with other organizations for outreach and treatment. There are many community groups now who work towards this. One of the more recent launches is the Live Well Streator initiative. The mayor is a steering committee member, and the fire chief is the lead of the Live Drug Free team. Having resources available for referral is part of the process. Working with law enforcement to provide the tools needed for arresting and prosecuting dealers is another action that the council can take.

How important is the city's relationship with small businesses? What do you believe it is doing well, or needs to improve in this relationship?

I believe that this is a very important relationship. According to a study from the Council of Economic Advisors in May 2011, small businesses were responsible for creating more than 60 percent of new jobs in the United States in the previous 15 years. As a city, we are much more likely to see several new small businesses opening, vs one large business.

The Streator Incubator is a fantastic tool for those wanting to develop a new business. It allows for low overhead to test out your idea. The commercial kitchen is available for use, and a pop-up restaurant idea has been proposed. Streator is also very lucky to have an office of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in town. Through our partnership with the Starved Rock Country Alliance, we have a business advisor on-site every week. The service is no cost and one-on-one to those looking to open or expand their small business.

What can the city do to improve its housing stock?

In February, the city of Streator authorized and approved our Community Revitalization of Housing Plan. Many actions have already been taken by the city. For example, in 2017, Streator was awarded a grant of $360,000 for rehab of owner-occupied single-family homes from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB). This program offers a 50 percent match of up to $7,000. Per the rules of the grant, we had to select a small area to begin the program. Now, we are interested in expanding this throughout the community. The City Council has also partnered partner with Habitat for Humanity and a similar organization, the Phoenix Project. The city has continued the acquisition and demolition of abandoned properties and has received a reimbursement grant three out of the last five years to help cover this cost. This has allowed us to assemble tracts of land for potential future building sites. The rental ordinance was also just approved. I believe that we need to continue these actions and use the new plan as a guide to improve the housing in Streator.

What asset would you like to see utilized more in the city? Explain your answer.

The Vermilion River is an asset that I believe could be more utilized. The greenway trail is a good start to increase the use. However, there is opportunity for more.

Describe the role you believe the city manager plays in the city’s government. 

The city manager is like the CEO of the city, with the City Council as the board of directors. The role is responsible for implementing the goals and policies set by the city council. Responsibilities include economic development, HR manager, grant writer, financial planner, and more.

How aggressive should the city be with annexation? Explain your answer.

In the last five years on the council, we have annexed numerous properties into the city. The reasons for people annexing have been many. Some would like to have city services, such as police and fire. Others have annexed due to the need of city sewer services. Others have annexed for potential TIF development. There are benefits to the city for annexation. There are multiple sources of revenue (for example, motor fuel tax and personal property replacement tax) paid to local governments based on population. The larger the population, the more the city would receive. For this reason, I believe that we should continue being somewhat aggressive with annexation. However, I do prefer voluntary annexation versus forced.

How do you plan to make yourself available to the public?

I keep a Facebook page where I announce council meetings and agendas. Numerous people have contacted me through it. The city lists email addresses on their website. I also work daily with citizens through my employment and volunteer work.

Since announcing your candidacy, how many City Council meetings have you attended?

All of them.

Other than for health reasons, why would you leave your position mid-term?

I cannot think of a reason to leave the position other than for health reasons.

What headline do you want to see on the front page of The Times during your term?

"Streator sees continued growth"