Downtown improvements: The taxpayer's responsibility or the property owner's?

Mason City is facing a little controversy these days in dealing with its aging downtown. It seems that the storefronts and sidewalks need attention and people are not showing up to shop in the numbers people would like. Some members of the City Council are proposing that taxpayers pick up the bill and fix up the downtown area. But many citizens are saying "not with my tax dollars". What is the best solution? Without a vibrant downtown, many people say a town cannot survive...at least in its present state. Who should pay this bill? Should the downtoen even be fixed up? Should the city force the peoperty owners to fix up their property?