Burr Ridge Passes Restaurant Sales Tax Increase

Customers who dine at restaurants can expect to pay 1 percent more for their meals, starting May 1. The new place of eating tax will apply to all restaurants throughout the village, according to an amendment to a village ordinance that was passed Monday night.

"We expect this tax will generate approximately $200,000 per year," said Village Administrator Steve Stricker.

A  few residents came forward at the meeting to voice concerns.

"If you look around, the restaurants aren't doing that well," said resident Russell Smith. "This is not the time to be putting these types of taxes on businesses."

Smith said he was concerned that the addition would make Burr Ridge less appealing for new restaurants to move into the village and questioned why the village needed to raise taxes.

"We’re spending too much money as a village ... redoing the Village Hall when the paint isn't even dry on the police station," said Smith. "I just ask that you refrain from spending so much money."

One resident asked whether the board knew how many of the people affected by the new tax would be residents.

"I would say the majority of the people who pay this tax are not residents of this village, just based on the number of restaurants we have and the business that they do, I'd say the majority is from outside the village," said Village Administrator Steve Stricker.

Mayor Gary Grasso said the board has implemented other cost-cutting measures over the years in order to maintain services at their current level and find funding for outstanding village needs such as the addition of a new police officer to the department.

"There have been no raises for anyone at the village for the past three years ... We are looking at the few avenues that remain available, and frankly, this is the last one," said Grasso. "This wasn’t something that was done without a lot of thought, without a lot of meetings and without a lot of research."

Grasso said in meetings with village restaurant owners, the owners had noticed that Burr Ridge is the only village in the area with no restaurant tax.

"[We have told the restaurants,] we will give you back 25 percent of the money maybe up to a third ... as long as you will form a restaurant association that will promote people to come to Burr Ridge to spend their money," said Grasso. ""They don’t like [the tax,] but [they said] it’s something they could live with."

Grasso said he believed maintaining a high quality of service for area businesses would be the key to bringing more business into the village.

The board voted unanimously in favor of the tax.