Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fees And Taxation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves highway fee changes, tables liquor-license fee schedule for further study
Summary
Cook County commissioners approved two highway fee changes — a $600 sign-assembly fee and a $60 pesticide-applicator application fee — and agreed to delay a decision on a proposed liquor-license fee schedule to gather additional local comparables and public input.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners voted Feb. 25 to approve two changes to the county fee schedule requested by the highway department and to postpone action on a proposed liquor-license fee update pending further analysis and public input.
Brady, representing the highway department, told the board the department clarified an existing sign fee to cover “the entire sign assembly, including all the posts, putting it together, and the labor” and proposed setting that fee at $600. The department also asked for a $60 charge per category for pesticide applicator training, which could total $180 for all categories.
After discussion of liquor-license comparisons and legal maximums for some categories — Brady noted that Minnesota caps Sunday liquor license fees at $200 and on-sale liquor at $800 — commissioners asked staff to gather more recent data from counties with similar tourism and demographic profiles before adopting any changes to liquor-license fees. Commissioner White and others expressed concern that web-published rates were outdated and recommended direct outreach to comparable counties.
The board voted to approve the highway fees immediately and to table the liquor-license fee schedule until staff returns with updated comparables and more public process. The vote to set the sign-assembly fee at $600 and the pesticide applicator fee at $60 passed unanimously. The motion to table liquor-fee changes also passed unanimously; the board directed staff to return with additional information in March and to schedule a public hearing on liquor fees if appropriate.
Commissioners asked staff to prioritize comparable counties with similar tourism economies and to provide up-to-date numbers before any final vote on liquor-license fee adjustments.
