Lake Bluff Village Board considering home rule sales tax hike

Facing the loss of about $250,000 in annual revenue, some Lake Bluff trustees are leaning toward raising the village’s home rule sales tax rather than enacting a new local grocery tax.

The discussion comes as the State of Illinois will discontinue its 1% grocery sales tax on Jan. 1. For years, the state collected the tax and redistributed the funds to municipalities. To offset the loss, several nearby communities — including Lake Forest, Deerfield, and Highland Park — have adopted their own local grocery tax. Others, such as Gurnee and Mundelein, have chosen different approaches.

Lake Bluff officials revisited the issue at a Sept. 8 Committee of the Whole meeting. Some trustees present expressed support for raising the home rule sales tax from 1% to 1.25%. The increase would apply to mos