Spring Valley eyes $250 gaming license increase; no official action taken

While no official action was taken during Monday’s Spring Valley City Council meeting, officials openly discussed increasing the city’s licensing fee on video gaming machines from $25 per terminal to $250 annually.

A $250 annual fee per machine would be the maximum amount the city would be able to impose under the current legislation. Home-rule municipalities, under the legislation, are able to increase their fees to more than $250.

This fee would be split with half of the cost to be paid by the business owner and half to be paid by the distributor of the machine.

The gaming machine fee increase has become a common topic among city councils as Peru and Utica have discussed an increase but haven’t yet taken action, La Salle has increased its fee from $60 to $120, Streator from $25 to $250 and Princeton has increased its fee from $25 to $250.

Spring Valley estimated this change would bring in an additional $16,250 a year to the city.

The discussion was brought up at the council’s committee level by Finance Committee Chairman Mike Herrmann. The consensus of the council was to move forward with the topic during future meetings.

Mayor Melanie Malooley-Thompson requested the item be added to the agenda for the Monday, April 18, meeting.