Historic preservation incentives were the main topic of discussion at Monday night’s Urbana City Council meeting. Staff from the city’s planning department presented the Council with a number of different programs to implement monetary compensation for homeowners who apply for historic landmark status. The Council discussed which programs would be best for Urbana.

“If we really believe in historic preservation we need to support it not only with words, but also financially,” Dennis Roberts, Ward 5, said.

Roberts said he thinks the Council should agree to set aside money for historic land markings. A significant contribution from the city would be $5,000 to $10,000, he said.

Robert Lewis, Ward 3, disagreed because Roberts’ proposed amount is not enough to make it worthwhile for people to get involved with historic preservation, he said.

“The dialogue that needs to take place is how serious we are about historic preservation and about financing and how far we’re going to get involved,” Lewis said. “We need to find out where we can extract dollars from and put our money where our mouth is.”

The Council brainstormed ideas on revenue sources for historic preservation incentives. Roberts said the city could possibly transfer permit fees from home demolitions. Mayor Laurel Prussing said it is a mistake to tie historic preservation incentives to demolition fees because funding would have to be cut somewhere.

“We should do the clearest, simplest thing that gives people the largest amount of money in one lump sum,” Prussing said.

Despite the uncertainty on how to implement historic preservation incentives, the city received positive input from the public.

“If you as a city council could make a dent in this issue it would be a great legacy to leave,” said Kathryn Anthony, professor of architecture.