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Belleville council approves continuation of 1% local grocery sales tax effective Jan. 1, 2026
Summary
The Belleville City Council on June 16 voted to adopt an ordinance continuing a 1% local grocery sales tax that will take effect Jan. 1, 2026, after the state ends its grocery sales tax. The measure passed on a roll call vote and drew a public comment decrying the tax as regressive.
The Belleville City Council voted Monday to adopt an ordinance continuing a 1% municipal grocery sales tax to take effect Jan. 1, 2026, when the state eliminates its grocery tax.
The ordinance, listed in the meeting as Ordinance 93-95-2025 and adding section 34.049 to the city code to create a municipal grocery retailers occupation tax and a municipal grocery service occupation tax, was presented as part of finance committee items and approved by roll call vote.
The tax drew public comment during the meeting. A resident who identified themself during public participation criticized the measure as regressive and said the city was effectively reinstating a tax residents had just seen removed at the state level. “You guys are gonna pass another tax on us? ... the reason the governor got rid of it is because it is a regressive tax,” the resident said. The same commenter said rising property bills are already burdensome, citing a family tax bill of “almost $8,600.”
Alderson Whitaker presented the finance committee’s items earlier in the meeting, which included the grocery tax continuation. The ordinance was adopted by roll call; the clerk recorded a series of “Aye” votes and the motion carried. The finance packet also included related budget and procurement items that were approved by the council during the same block of votes.
The ordinance language approved by the council adds municipal grocery retailers and grocery service occupation taxes to the Belleville code; the measure is written to become effective on Jan. 1, 2026, coinciding with the state’s elimination of its grocery tax, as stated on the meeting agenda.
The meeting agenda and minutes do not state how the city will spend revenue from the municipal grocery tax or provide a specific projected revenue total. Those details were not specified during the June 16 meeting.
The council moved from regular business into an executive session at the end of the meeting. Any implementation steps, administrative rules or revenue-targeting decisions tied to the new municipal grocery tax were not discussed on the record at this meeting and are not specified in the meeting minutes.
