Geneva City Council honors student, continues support of business district

Tuesday declared ‘Minzie Choi Day’

Geneva High School senior Minzie Choi is the first Geneva D304 student elected to Illinois DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America). DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

The Geneva City Council on Dec. 4 honored one of the city’s bright young residents and continued a 44-year-old program that benefits the city’s principal commercial area.

The council declared Dec. 5 as “Minzie Choi Day” in the city. Choi, a senior at Geneva High School, is the new president of the Illinois Distributive Education Clubs of America. DECA is an international organization for high school students interested in pursuing a career in business.

The organization was founded in 1957. Choi is the first Geneva High School student to serve as president of the Illinois branch.

She plans to pursue a career in hospital administration. That would combine her two main career interests of being in the medical field and business.

Also Dec. 4, the council continued Special Service Area 1, established in 1979 to provide additional city services in exchange for an annual tax levy on business properties in the area.

Through the years, the city services have included the acquisition, maintenance, repair and replacement of parking, plus provide landscaping and public seating.

The area was continued in 1988 and again in 1997, with an expiration date of April 30, 2023.

Property owners in the area will pay an annual not-to-exceed amount of 0.7% of the assessed value, as equalized, of their property to the city starting in 2024.