A DeKalb council member proposed Wednesday that the Greater DeKalb Partnership use its city-allocated funds to pay membership dues to allow more businesses to join.

Alderman Rita Tewksbury, 4th Ward, made the suggestion at a special council meeting to allow merchants to air concerns about downtown development. About 60 attended the session at the DeKalb Farm Bureau, 315 N. 6th St.

Tewksbury said several downtown merchants indicated they could not afford the membership dues for the partnership, a public-private organization meant to foster economic development in DeKalb.

If the cost of joining is eliminated, merchants would not be inhibited to join, Tewksbury said.

Dues for the partnership are based on the number of employees a business hires and typically are more than $200 per year.

The city allocated $130,000 from Tax Increment Financing to the partnership to assist its operation, Tewksbury said. “I am suggesting paying their (merchants’) dues out of that money, giving them a chance to join.”

Under TIF, cities may declare an area blighted and set aside increased revenues from property and sales taxes over a 23-year period to go for economic improvements in the area. DeKalb’s TIF district includes downtown.

John Castle, chairman of First National Bank in DeKalb, 141 W. Lincoln Hwy., encouraged downtown merchants to participate in the partnership.

“A large number of individuals have worked very, very hard and diligently to make the partnership work,” Castle said. “An organization of its kind cannot work unless everybody pitches in.”

But Castle said he does not support the use of the city allocation to pay membership dues. Joining the partnership “is not a matter of money. What’s needed are bodies, committment and time,” he said.

Several merchants said cooperation is needed to solve downtown’s problems, which include empty store fronts, vandalism by tavern patrons and lack of parking.

“The number one problem is cooperation between merchants,” said Connie Scott, owner of Cottage Interiors, 224 N. 2nd St. “Until you get that, you can spend $1 million downtown and nothing is going to change.”

Scott said merchants do not have to pay dues and join the partnership to be an active participant. “I’m not sure the answer is to pay everyone’s dues.”

DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow called on the private sector to solve problems. “What we have to do is produce private and public—and I emphasize private—cooperation. It will only be successful if it’s private driven,” he said.

Castle said he was pleased that merchants recognized the need to work together through an organization such as the partnership.

Tewksbury said it will take time to solve downtown problems. “Six months is not long enough to repair the damage of three or four years,” she said.