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Name: Nicole (Nikki) DeBoer
Age: 44
Town: Marengo
Office sought: Alderman Ward 1, City of Marengo
1) What skills, qualities or experience do you possess that separate you from your opponents?
Life-long Marengo resident, alderman since October 2012, very involved in community events and very passionate about Marengo
2) What can the City of Marengo do and what should it do to ease the property tax burden on homeowners?
Our budget is very tight already, so there is not a lot that we can cut. We need to attract businesses to the City that will generate sales tax revenue.
3) How would you describe the climate in Marengo's city government for businesses? What needs improvement? What's working?
The climate is getting better. More businesses are interested in our area now that we are closer to the construction of the interchange. We need to continue to devote more time to economic development. When the City staff has time to work on economic development, positive things happen.
4) What will be the biggest challenge that Marengo residents and their city government will face over the next four years and how will you meet it?
Managing the development that will arise from the I-90 interchange…we will meet this challenge through our planning efforts, which actually started a few years ago.
5) How should Marengo plan development for the eventual full I-90 interchange?
We have already started the planning for infrastructure and will continue to do so until the actual development occurs. We will work with business interested in locating in that area to pursue grants to help offset some of their development costs for the infrastructure needed to provide City services.
6) What do you expect to change about Marengo by the end of your term?
I expect that the interchange construction will be complete and that business will be starting to locate in the area of the interchange; to have better plans in place for infrastructure (roads) repair and to find a way to offset the costs to run our water and sewer system.