The Answer Person tackles your Main Street Iowa questions

(The Answer Person has been asked many questions about Decorah's application to be named a Main Street Iowa community.  Many of the questions have involved the budgets for the program):

The Answer Person says: "Because the local Main Street Steering Committee faced an application deadline of last Monday, some of the particulars of the application are still being determined.

Both supporters and opponents of the application agree that the projected first year budget for Main Street Decorah would be $105,000.  The group is asking for a $20,000 city contribution to the budget.  The remaining $85,000 would come from private donations and in-kind donations.  Group members say they've raised a little over half of this amount.  The program would expect to pay $40,000 to $45,000 in salaries, with the balance coming in other expenses.

It's accurate to point out that the entire budget would have to come from local sources--there are no state grants attached to Main Street Iowa.  Instead, the Iowa Department of Economic Development supplies services such as consulting and technical support.

Supporters and opponents of the application differ as to the second year and third year costs of a Decorah Main Street Iowa program.  Supporters say the program would cost "roughly $100,000 a year," while opponents say the budget would be $130,000 for the second year and $155,000 for the third year.  The request for city funding does increase for the period--$30,000 is asked for the second year and $50,000 for the third year.

All of these figures are still being worked on, however, so The Answer Person advises you to take everything with a grain of salt at this point."