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Economic Development director presents TIF outcomes, downtown initiative and new storefront activation proposal
Summary
Jill Connors outlined how targeted Tax Increment Financing and development agreements have leveraged private investment; she described a Downtown Storefront Activation program and reported $68 million in private investment tied to 15 development agreements executed over the last year.
Jill Connors, Economic Development director, told the council the department’s work centers on jobs, housing, arts and the tax base and that, historically, each dollar of city investment in incentives has leveraged roughly $7.50 in private investment.
Connors said the city executed 15 development agreements in the past year that together leverage about $68 million in private investment and create more than 300 residential units. She described how tax increment financing (TIF) has been used to unlock rehabilitation and redevelopment — showing examples where assessed values rose substantially after redevelopment — and highlighted Central Avenue as a corridor with multiple new development agreements creating storefronts and apartments.
Connors also introduced a proposed Downtown Storefront Activation Program to address upfront costs for small businesses seeking downtown storefronts. The proposed $100,000 program would allocate up to $25,000 for rent/security deposit assistance (covering up to 25% of first six months’ rent plus a security deposit with owner and tenant matching) and $75,000 to expand Dubuque Main Street’s SWAP interior‑rehab grant mechanism.
She noted that of the $5.7 million shown in the CIP book for downtown rehabilitation, $1.7 million represents the city’s requested amount in the next five-year cycle after accounting for carryovers and encumbrances. Connors said many existing encumbrances are active development agreements or projects under construction and that the starting balance for new downtown rehab funding on July 1 would be zero without new appropriations.
Bonnie Spurling, Arts & Cultural Affairs manager, summarized arts grants and programs: FY26 Operating Support Grants funded 20 organizations ($248,677 total) and Special Projects Grants funded six proposals ($36,200). She said arts requests have grown faster than available city funding, and the department seeks modest budget adjustments to improve grant review efficiency.
Multiple council members and public partners, including Jason White of Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, praised the partnership between the city and regional development organizations and urged continued focus on site readiness and talent attraction as key priorities for economic growth.
