City Council Approves $11,500 Coronavirus Economic Relief Package

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The City Council has approved an economic relief package for several local businesses and nonprofits that rent properties owned by the city. Council members voted unanimously at a remote meeting Tuesday to approve a resolution providing about $11,500 of aid to three businesses that least city-owned real estate and delaying the date rent is due from a fourth tenant.

The largest financial beneficiary of the move is The Arts Center of Highland Park at 1957 Sheridan Road. Representatives requested rent abatement from the city March 24, citing the financial losses it has accrued as a result of cancelled facility rentals, the indefinite postponement of classes and the return of class fees. The local nonprofit initially asked the city to waive its $3,000-a-month rent through August, according to city staff, but the City Council instead approved a staff recommendation to abate only the next three months of rent.

Morning Blend, the coffee shop inside the downtown train station, requested rent abatement from the city on March 12. Since then, the coffee shop has seen "very little to no business" following the governor's statewide stay-at-home order and the closure of public access to the station by Union Pacific last month. The city abated its rent payments through the end of May, which are worth $1,645.

Catering by Michaels, the Morton Grove-based caterers that grew from Michael's Chicago-Style Red Hots in Highland Park, received relief from three months of fees it owed the city. Although the catering company had not signed a lease with the city for use of the Highland Park Country Club, it agreed in a letter of intent to pay $300 a month for utilities. After the company cancelled three months of events, the city waived $900 in utility fees.

A fourth tenant, the Highland Park Community House at 1991 Sheridan Road, did not require direct relief, according to city staff. Instead the city agreed to postpone the due date of its annual payment to the city until Nov. 30.

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Mayor Nancy Rotering said the governor's statewide stay-at-home order has wide-reaching financial implications for resident and local businesses.

"While we do not know exactly how this pandemic will impact the City budget, we believe it is incumbent upon us to do our part as community leaders to seek immediate and long-term opportunities for financial relief for businesses and residents as they also experience unplanned loss of revenue," Rotering said, announcing the relief effort.

City officials have "encouraged" landlords to look for ways to provide relief to tenants amid the coronavirus shutdown, according to a release. As of Friday, several property owners, including the Loeb family, the Roberts family,and Mark Schneider have taken steps to offer rent abatement to small business tenants, it said, and city representatives have communicated with commercial real estate owners about offering similar assistance.

According to a memo from Assistant City Manager Rob Sabo, Highland Park has taken other financial measures to help businesses and residents, including: suspending the sale of vehicle stickers, parking permits and refuse stickers, suspending administrative hearing fees for citations and suspended citations for parking and certain other matters.

"Any additional measures to support residents and businesses will be pursued balancing the challenges the City will face within the FY 2020 budget and preliminary 2021 budget," Sabo said.

Highland Park joins other local governments in the north suburbs who have sought to provide immediate economic help to their communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic — well before the arrival of financial assistance from the federal government.

On March 23, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson approved a municipal economic relief package worth $2.8 million. As first reported by the Elk Grove Journal, the village granted a $200 water bill credit to every household in the village, as well as a one-time waiver of all business licensing fees due for renewal. The measure is set for final approval at that village board's April 14 meeting.

On March 24, the Wilmette Village Board voted remotely to grant $375,000 to qualifying small businesses through sales tax rebates. Local businesses who generated up to $7.5 million in sales tax-eligible revenue last year and whose sales have declined by at least 15 percent since the governor's stay-at-home order can apply to receive half the municipal sales tax they collected last year.

The Highland Park City Council is scheduled to next meet on April 27. The stay-at-home order, and the local state of emergency Rotering declared last month, are due to remain in effect through April 30.

Video: Full April 6, 2020, Highland Park City Council Remote Meeting »