Dixon City Council hears nonprofits’ funding requests

DIXON – Several nonprofit organizations made financial requests to the Dixon City Council on Monday afternoon during a city budget workshop.

Nonprofits from throughout the city of Dixon made financial presentations to the council, including the Lee County Industrial Development Association, Sauk Valley Community College’s Impact program, the Whiteside CEO program, The Next Picture Show and Lee-Ogle County Enterprise Zone officials.

From these presentations – and more in the coming weeks – the council will decide how much financial support it will designate in the fiscal 2025 budget, which will be completed in April.

First up was LCIDA Executive Director Tom Demmer, who became leader of the association one year ago. LCIDA promotes, develops and facilitates industrial, commercial and business enterprises in Lee County. LCIDA is requesting $50,000 from the city during fiscal 2025, the same as the fiscal 2024 allotment.

“It’s been an incredibly busy year, a very productive year throughout the entire region,” Demmer said, noting the significant continued interest in Dixon’s industrial park and the city’s north and south retail corridors.

He pointed to projects throughout the past year, including the newly occupied Raynor Garage Doors location in the former Rayovac building in the industrial park, and Bonnell Industries’ purchase of property in the industrial park and its ongoing construction of a new 100,000-square-foot production facility there.

Demmer said a parcel of land that had been owned by LCIDA that sits along Route 26′s frontage has been sold for a soon-to-be announced development, which he described as another local business expansion.

“I think a really good sign is three of the largest projects we’ve seen in the area are all going to be expansions of existing businesses,” he said. “We shouldn’t underestimate that. They all have locations in other cities and other states, and when they were going to grow they could have grown anywhere, but they chose to grow right here in Dixon.

“I think that’s a real testament to the quality of the community, to what it’s like to do business here with city and county officials, and the access to a qualified local workforce.”

Other requests included:

• The Sauk Valley Community College Impact program that allows high school students who meet certain criteria to earn free tuition and fees in exchange for completing volunteer service. The city gave the program $25,000 in fiscal 2024; Monday’s request was for $25,000.
• The Whiteside CEO program, an 11-year-old effort that teaches students to become business leaders, entrepreneurs and managers by having them learn from local leaders. The program received $1,000 from the city of Dixon in fiscal 2024 and is seeking that amount or more if the City Council so chooses.
• The Next Picture Show, a 20-year-old community fine arts center in downtown Dixon. The organization is asking for $30,000 that would help to pay for the gallery’s overhead as well as repairs and maintenance for the building. TNPS staff also would like to create programs for people with special needs.
• The Lee-Ogle Enterprise Zone is asking for $26,508.

The City Council made no decisions Monday night. It will host its next budget workshop at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, at Dixon City Hall, 121 W. Second St.