Geneva council expected to support 1% grocery tax

The Geneva City Council is poised to approve a local 1% grocery tax at Monday’s meeting, documents show, a move that city officials have said would likely impact more out-of-town shoppers than locals.

The meeting kicks off at 7 p.m., in the Council Chamber, 109 James St.

The state is ending its collection of a 1% sales tax Jan. 1, 2026 – the same day the Geneva tax would take effect, according to the board packet.

Geneva collected nearly $788,000 in the food tax category in calendar year 2022, according to an email from former Finance Director Rita Kruse.

To mitigate the anticipated revenue loss to local governments, state lawmakers also authorized municipalities to impose a 1% grocery sales tax without a referendum, according to the board packet.

At a June 7 special Committee of the Whole meeting, staff presented shopping data that showed about 60% of grocery store visits come from customers outside the city’s 60134 ZIP code.

This suggests “a significant portion of the tax burden would be shared by non-residents,” according to the board packet.

If the tax is approved, Geneva would join a growing list of northern Illinois municipalities enacting a local tax before the Oct. 1 deadline.