We’ve never had a problem with town councils spending tax dollars downtown. After all, elected leaders made the zoning changes that allowed regional and national retailers to draw shoppers from Main Street to the highway. Many hometown stores folded under the pricing pressure from their bigger competitors, so we think town councils owe something to the folks who remain on Main Street and to those willing to set up shop there.

Smithfield has long funneled tax dollars into its downtown, and it’s safe to say those dollars have helped downtown weather the flight of retail to Bright Leaf Boulevard and Industrial Park Drive.

Over in Selma, the town council has underwritten rent for antique dealers willing to move into storefronts that had long been vacant. Now, council members are thinking about borrowing money to give downtown streets a makeover with vegetation, new lighting and other accents.

Clayton, meanwhile, is relatively new to investing tax dollars in downtown, and that’s partly because competition from the chains is relatively new. Still, commercial growth on U.S. 70 has clearly had an impact on Main Street. For just one example, gone are the days when Clayton residents could walk to the grocery store.

And yet downtown Clayton has much potential, largely because it remains intact. By that, we mean downtown Smithfield has had a harder row to hoe because government razed lots of storefronts to make room for its own building. Downtown Clayton, meanwhile, still has uninterrupted blocks of storefronts.

Granted, some of those storefronts could use a makeover, and that’s where Clayton leaders have chosen to spend tax dollars. Specifically, the town is offering façade-improvements grants to owners of downtown buildings. (The council recently raised the grant cap to encourage more participation in the program.)

Ultimately, we’d encourage Clayton leaders and downtown property owners to pursue the public-private partnership that Smithfield employs. In the county seat, building owners tax themselves to help boost downtown, and the town matches those dollars up to a point.

But what’s important here is the Clayton leaders recognize the debt they owe to Main Street.