DeKALB – Members of the DeKalb City Council voiced support for bringing Olive Garden to the city by giving the parent company a $900,000 forgivable loan.

The money would come from the city’s tax increment financing account, a funding mechanism used by municipalities to redevelop blighted areas, and go to Darden Restaurants, which operates
Olive Garden.

“I look at the opportunity to bring in 55 full-time employees... to see an immediate increase in our sales tax,” said Mayor Kris Povlsen, who supports the project.
“From my perspective, that’s what those TIF dollars are for.”