By Howard Packowitz
NORMAL – Normal’s Town Council has approved a sales tax rebate for the owner of neighboring shopping centers trying to fill vacant retail space along Veterans Parkway, near College Avenue.
The contentious issue reignited some of the passions from a historically close mayoral election earlier this year.
Council members voted five-to-two to sign a deal which would return up to $800,000 in sales taxes over a decade to property owner Phillips Edison and Company.
The firm plans to invest about $4 million for upgrades to the shopping center, which lost Dick’s Sporting Goods to Bloomington two years ago.
A family apparel retailer is said to be interested in moving to the old sporting goods space, but a Phillips Edison representative said the retailer is also looking at an “adjacent” community.
Former mayoral candidate Marc Tiritilli, who came within about a dozen votes of defeating Mayor Chris Koos, blasted the rebate plan.
“So the money from Normal’s taxpayer’s is going to be funneled out of here into the pockets of wealthy investors. Talk about privilege,” Tiritilli said.
The council’s senior member and Koos backer Jeff Fritzen shot back at Tiritilli.
“You know, I’m speaking up a little louder tonight – I spoke up loudly a few months ago – because people are being mislead by others because they just want to say ‘no, no, no’ all the time,” said Fritzen.
Fritzen said public-private partnerships are necessary, especially at a time when there are so many empty spaces along Veterans Parkway.
Council members Kathleen Lorenz and Scott Preston voted no.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].
