Becks Already Bought In — So Why Are We Paying Them to Build?

Public Hearing July 2nd 6 pm - Your Voice Matters

Let’s be clear from the start: this is not a debate about whether it’s smart to tear down a historic church to make room for a gas station. That’s a separate conversation — and one this community deserves to have — but it’s not what’s on the table right now.

Right now, we’re being asked whether the City of Streator should hand over decades of future tax revenue to Beck Oil, a company that already owns the land, already has plans, and is simply waiting to see how much public money they can get before breaking ground.

What Beck Oil Wants

Beck Oil is requesting a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement — a deal that would let them collect the increase in property tax revenue generated by their project for up to 23 years.

And here’s the problem:
That money — which would normally go to help fund essential services — won’t go to our roads. It won’t support our police and fire departments. And it absolutely won’t go to Streator’s public schools, which are already stretched thin and in need of every dollar they can get.

Instead, it would go back to Beck Oil — to reimburse them for costs they were well aware of when they purchased the property.

Are They Going to Build Without the TIF?

We don’t know for certain. But here’s what we do know:

• Beck Oil already bought the property — including the former St. Mary’s Church and two other parcels.
• They haven’t begun demolition — not because they can’t, but because they’re waiting to see if the city will offer them a taxpayer-funded incentive package.
• There’s been no indication they’re abandoning the project — only that they want a better financial deal before moving forward.

So the question becomes:

Why should taxpayers subsidize a project that’s already in motion?

Even If You Support the Gas Station — Ask This:

Plenty of folks might think replacing the church with a modern gas station is a good move. Fine. That debate can be had.

But even if you’re in favor of the project, ask yourself:

Does it make sense to hand over 23 years of new tax revenue to a company that already owns the land and is likely to build anyway?

Because the alternative is letting that new property value support:

• Our first responders
• Our crumbling streets
• Our underfunded schools
• And the people who live here year-round — not just pass through

A Strong Towns Warning

Charles Marohn, founder of the Strong Towns movement, has written about this exact kind of scenario:

“If the private market is already willing to build, a public subsidy isn’t an incentive — it’s a gift.”

And in this case, it’s a gift that costs the city 23 years of potential revenue.

Show Up – Speak Out – July 2nd at 6:00 p.m.

The public hearing is set for Wednesday, July 2nd at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall.

Whether you support or oppose the Beck Oil project, this hearing isn’t about whether there will be a gas station. It’s about who should pay for it — the private company that bought the land, or the public that’s being asked to give up a generation’s worth of funding.

Because this isn’t just about one project.

It’s about the future of Streator — and who we’re building it for.