Grocery tax is a go in Wilmette

In line with its previous discussions, the Wilmette Village Board on Thursday night locked in a 1% grocery tax via a 4-2 vote.

Trustees Gina Kennedy and Mark Steen opposed the measure, while Trustee Gerry Smith, who previously expressed support for the tax, was absent Thursday, Sept. 25, a session delayed from Tuesday because of Rosh Hashanah.

Wilmette is just the latest Chicagoland municipality to adopt a grocery tax in replacement of the state’s canceled 1% grocery tax, which has existed since 1990 and will expire at year’s end. Without the state’s tax, Wilmette officials project the village will lose $600,000 in annual revenue.

Nearly all of Wilmette’s neighbors — including Glenview, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Northfield, Glencoe and Highland Park — have already approved a new 1% grocery tax. The City of Evanston is also expected to adopt a grocery tax, despite Mayor Daniel Biss’s recent veto.

Wilmette staff and a majority of village trustees have supported a 1% tax since discussions began earlier this year. The Village Board has addressed the topic at four public sessions beginning July 22.

Trustees in support of the tax argued that it was financially prudent, especially for stability if and when the village stumbles on tough financial times. They also said that a likely alternative to the grocery tax would be a slight rise in property taxes, which would impact all Wilmette residents, instead of a grocery tax that would also impact nonresident Wilmette shoppers.

Steen and Kennedy reiterated their arguments that because of the regressive nature of a grocery tax — a description with which all the trustees agreed — it did not fit with Wilmette’s commitment to equitable taxing principles.

Kennedy also questioned the timing of the vote, urging her fellow trustees to consider delaying any decision until the Village sees a proposed budget.

“If we need (the revenue), we can do it then,” said Kennedy, who added that in her six-plus years as a trustee, the board has regularly considered taxing changes during the budget process.

“This would be a departure from that practice,” she said.

Steen and Kennedy’s opposition was echoed in dozens of letters — more than 70 — from community members. Both trustees expressed appreciation for the public’s input, and Kennedy said it was the most “lopsided” response she has seen on a measure before the board.

A letter from resident Bonnie Kim, read aloud on Thursday by resident Renee Cox, said the tax was “wrong” and called attention to Wilmette’s envious financial position, with ample reserve dollars and a thriving local economy.

“It feels like this is the ideal time to make a decision not to hurt our most vulnerable people,” Kim wrote.

Prior to the vote, Village President Senta Plunkett summed up her support for the grocery tax, saying that a property tax would also negatively impact Wilmette’s most vulnerable and a grocery tax better spreads out the burden.

“We are all striving to support and improve our community but we may have different ideas for achieving that objective,” she said. “This is not a decision I take lightly and certainly not a decision any of us on the board take lightly.

“While I share the concerns about the regressive nature of the (grocery) tax, the alternative I fear is that we’d be double taxing residents and create more of a burden for our residents.”

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.