Shoppers in Glenview will continue paying a 1% tax on groceries after the state’s grocery tax ends on the last day of the year.
The Glenview Village Board on Aug. 26 voted 4-2 in favor of establishing a 1% municipal grocery tax, effective Jan. 1, and upheld the vote on a second and final reading on Sept. 2, making it official.
The municipal grocery tax will replace the state grocery tax, which the Illinois General Assembly in 2024 voted to end. The local tax will continue to apply to any food items that are purchased for off-premises consumption. Excluded are prepared foods, soft drinks, alcohol and candy, which are taxed at higher rates, the village said.
The grocery tax equates to $1 on every $100 in groceries purchased.
By not continuing the grocery tax or implementing an alternative revenue source, the village stands to lose an estimated $2.7 million, elected officials were told.
But that amount is only an approximation because, historically, the state has reimbursed the village’s tax revenue from various sources “in a lump sum” and not broken down by the type of tax, said Maggie Bosley, deputy village manager.
“We’ve gone through analysis and estimated [the amount], but up until now, we have not gotten details,” she said.
Bosley said the village will have a better idea of how much revenue the grocery tax generates a year from now.
Trustees Jim Bland and Mary Cooper voted against the 1% tax.
“This is a highly regressive tax and, simply said, it’s a really bad tax,” Bland said on Aug. 26. He added that it will hurt Glenview residents on fixed and lower incomes and other options should be considered.
“This board should actively work toward formulating policies that are non-regressive,” he said.
Cooper said she supported Bland’s comments.
“For us to continue to tax a basic need—food—is the wrong taxation,” she said.
Trustee Gina DeBoni voted for the grocery tax, but acknowledged that “in a perfect world, to not continue it would be great.” She said she supported continuing it because the full financial impact is not yet known, and said the tax should be revisited “in the next year.”
Similar remarks were made by Trustee Adam Sidoti.
“I don’t love the tax,” he said. “I recognize the regressive nature of it, but I’m also concerned we’re not playing with a full deck of cards here because we don’t know what the impact is.’
Mayor Michael Jenny suggested the tax could be reconsidered or changes made over time.
“We’re not voting to continue an existing tax in perpetuity forever,” Jenny said.
Before the final vote on Sept. 2 he added: “There may be, down the road, other means of increasing revenue or reducing costs, and I remain open to discussing any and all of this at upcoming budget workshops.”
Village Manager Matt Formica said the current 2025 budget shows a surplus of approximately $3 million, but the 2026 budget is forecasting a deficit of about $2 million.
Hundreds of Illinois municipalities have voted to continue the 1% tax on groceries when the state tax ends. This includes neighboring towns of Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Mount Prospect, Des Plaines and others.
