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Economic development director highlights downtown TIF leverage and housing pipeline
Summary
Economic Development Director Jill Connors told council that targeted TIF and incentive use has leveraged large private investment in recent years, citing 15 development agreements in the last year that brought about $68 million in private investment and roughly 300 new residential units.
Jill Connors, the city’s economic development director, outlined FY27 priorities and the department’s role in recruiting investment, supporting housing creation, and coordinating downtown revitalization.
Connors reviewed how tax increment financing (TIF) and targeted incentives have increased assessed value over time and supported projects that create jobs, housing and private reinvestment. She said the city has executed 137 TIF projects historically and that each public dollar has historically leveraged substantial private investment. In the past year the city executed 15 development agreements that she said leverage about $68 million in private investment and more than 300 new residential units.
She emphasized district‑level work — Central Avenue revitalization, industrial parks, and corridor investments — and described programs designed to lower barriers for developers, such as revising insurance requirements in development agreements and coordinating interdepartmental improvements.
Connors also described Debuke Initiatives’ role in downtown revitalization and workforce programs such as the Bright Minds child‑care campus, which she said created 225 child care slots and reduced infant‑slot waiting lists. Opportunity Dubuque workforce training (administered by NICC) and other partnerships were cited as examples of public‑private collaboration.
Bonnie Sperling, Arts & Cultural Affairs manager, presented arts grant activity: FY26 operating support grants totaled $248,677 across 20 grantees, and special project awards totaled $36,200. Connors and Sperling noted growing demand for arts funding, new capacity grants for emerging organizations, and a proposed downtown storefront activation CIP that would cover upfront costs for small businesses and continue Debuke Main Street’s interior‑rehab grant program.
Councilors and community partners praised the department’s coordination and urged continued focus on workforce and site‑readiness; Greater Dubuque Development Corporation representatives said the organization will continue to partner on talent attraction and site availability.
