At her business “The Farmer’s Wife” on Newton’s downtown square on Monday, Bonnie Terpstra scrolls through an iPad, checking in new merchandise to the store. Inside, her business is tidy and orderly, but outside, Terpstra and a group of downtown business owners feel the streets and sidewalks need a little elbow grease.

Terpstra is on the Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) Establishment Group Committee, a union of three Newton business owners and Newton Chamber Executive Director Darrell Sarmento, aimed at getting support for a self-imposed tax to beautify the downtown square.

“Downtown is the hub of our city, and we want to keep it looking polished,” Terpstra said. “Especially when we have guests coming in from out of town, it just doesn’t look professional.”