Gambling fees could help fund Dixon Municipal Band

DIXON — The city is planning to fund the Dixon Municipal Band with revenue from increased video gambling fees and budget $10,000 less than what the group asked for.

The band brought in around $35,000 through its fundraising efforts and asked the Dixon City Council for $25,000 to help them have a full season as well as special performances in the future.

The band came back for a shortened season last year because of COVID-19 restrictions, with six performances.

The goal is to have nine shows from June to August for the band’s summer series. Future plans would be to have guest artists and to do a special spring show at the Dixon Historic Theatre.

Councilman Chris Bishop previously suggested that the city fund the band with new revenue after the council decided to up fees for video gambling terminals from $25 to $250 per terminal.

The council is budgeting $15,000 for the band, which would be flat with last year.

Last year, there were months of debate among council members about cutting the band’s funding. The city has reduced its funding for the band for several years, and there were arguments about decreasing funding from $21,000 to $10,000. The council ended up in between, allocating $15,000.

For the last few years, the council has advised band leadership that it needs to step up fundraising efforts to become more self-sustainable.

The city can levy property tax dollars to fund the band, but has not done so since 2014 in order to prioritize other expenses such as pensions. The city is tax-capped by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law.

The council is also planning to budget $200,000 for the Dixon Historic Theatre and $8,000 for The Next Picture Show, which had requested $35,000 for this year and $15,000 for future years.