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Committee hears tourism grant requests from Jacksonville Main Street and Speedway; board to act at next meeting
Summary
At the Committee of the Whole, Jacksonville Main Street requested $6,000 for a downtown concert billboard and Jacksonville Speedway asked for $15,000 for racing events; the committee supported placing both as action items on the next regular board meeting agenda.
During the Committee of the Whole on March 20, 2025, representatives from local tourism and events groups asked the village to consider grants to support community events.
Judy Tighe, representing Jacksonville Main Street, requested $6,000 to rent the village billboard for the Downtown Concert Series and said the event has driven increased attendance and restaurant sales. Ken Dobson, representing Jacksonville Speedway, requested $15,000 — the same amount as the prior year — citing the Speedway's World of Outlaws event (which he said was named their event of the year) and noting roughly 20% of current ticket buyers were from out of town.
Committee members said they supported placing both requests as action items on the next board meeting agenda. The Scouting grant (Abraham Lincoln Council Scouting America) was mentioned but that group's representative was absent; the board agreed the scouting request will be added for discussion at a subsequent meeting when the representative can attend.
No funding decisions were made at the committee meeting; trustees asked staff to place the grants on the next regular meeting agenda for formal consideration and possible appropriation.
