The Dixon: Historic Theatre made its pitch Monday to the Dixon City Council as it seeks $200,000 in city funding to pay for theater events.

The council in February began holding meetings to draft its fiscal 2027 budget, and voted March 16 to place the budget on file with a placeholder for the theater’s request pending a review of its finances.

The council over the past two fiscal years has allocated $600,000 to the theater, and council members have previously been split in their support of it because a majority of those allocated funds were used for theater operating costs.

[ Dixon council postpones vote on Historic Theater’s $200,000 request, director says funds to be used for events ]

At Monday’s meeting, Historic Theater Board Treasurer Reid Mitchell said that since 2019, “We’ve improved attendance, show level profitability and overall operational performances.”

Mitchell was appointed as a board member and treasurer in December 2025. He also serves as Lee County’s financial director.

In 2025, the theater hosted 60 events that generated $494,000 in revenue and left about $60,000 in net profit, which was used for day-to-day operations. That revenue is up from $240,000 in 2024 and $143,000 in 2023, Mitchell said.

In a previous interview with Shaw Local, Spencer Aurand, the theater’s executive director, said that with money support from the city and from other private donors, “We were able to cover all of our other costs.”

Mitchell said concession sales also generated about $60,000 to $65,000 profit in 2025.

Mitchell emphasized that the requested city funds, if approved, would be used for events.

“These funds are restricted for a very specific purpose...they will be used to schedule our future performances,” Mitchell said.

He said the theater typically needs to book talent for events a year or more in advance and the requested city funds would allow the theater to bridge the funding gap between when the shows must be secured and when the funds needed to book them are generated.

“Without your guys’ support, it would be very difficult for us to continue securing the performances at the level we currently are and want to continue in the future,” Mitchell said.

Aurand said the theater has budgeted $400,000 for events in 2026.

While the city allocated $350,000 to the theater in fiscal 2025 and $250,000 in fiscal 2026, Mitchell said the theater board anticipates gradually reducing its reliance on the city’s contributions. He said the theater hopes to reduce its request by $25,000 a year for the next couple of years.

“With that said, similar to other community theaters, we will likely still need some level of support from the city, just hopefully at a lower level,” Mitchell said.

“I do like the fact that they’re trying to build in the step-downs over the next couple years,” City Manager Danny Langloss said. “Ultimately, that’s a council decision, but we were very satisfied with information we received from Reid [Mitchell] ... and the direction that the theater is heading in. It’s the cornerstone, the foundation of our arts and culture community.”

The funds the theater requested would be taken out of the city’s community development fund, which has a balance of $900,000, Langloss said.

“It’s not the theater fund,” Langloss said, adding that $200,000 is already allocated for housing.

“We just want to be upfront that when we have bigger requests that come in, that will drain that fund faster,” Langloss said.

Council member Chris Bishop said he would like to go through the theater’s financial documents that it provided to the council Monday with someone who put it together.

Langloss said they can set up a meeting with the theater and any council members who would like to go through it.

Where the theater “is today compared to where it was just a few short years ago is a major game changer in our community,” providing entertainment and bringing in visitors, Councilman Mike Venier said.

The council will cast its final vote on the budget at its April 20 meeting. Council meetings start at 5:30 p.m. and are held in the council chambers on the second floor of Dixon City Hall, 121 W. Second St. Meetings are also streamed live on the city’s Facebook page.