Morton trustees approve three-quarters of 1% non‑home‑rule sales tax after public comment on notice
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Summary
Morton trustees voted unanimously to adopt a non‑home‑rule municipal sales tax of three‑quarters of 1%, after a resident urged more public notice and explanation of the proposed levy.
Trustees of the Morton Village Board voted to adopt a non‑home‑rule municipal sales tax of three‑quarters of 1% after a short discussion and an amendment to reduce the draft 1% rate.
The proposal drew public comment from Zoe Evans, who identified herself as a Morton resident and said she also serves as village clerk. Evans criticized the notice period and said the ordinance was difficult to understand: “I read through the proposed ordinance a couple times, and it took quite a bit of research to figure out exactly what it was, how it impacted us citizens, and with the I'm gonna call it a loophole… that it is allowed to be on an agenda with only 48 hour notice and not any other means of notifying the citizens.” She asked trustees to consider tabling the item or giving residents more time and explanation.
Evans said she was not opposed to the tax in principle but wanted clearer justification and more time for citizens to consider the proposal. Trustees discussed the municipal revenue context, noting the pending state change to the grocery tax and local needs including fire and public safety staffing and infrastructure. One speaker said the new sales tax would take effect July 1. Corporation counsel explained the next steps, saying the ordinance will be filed with the state and “the state would begin collection, as soon as they process the update, they begin collection twice a year.”
Trustees then amended the proposed 1% rate to three‑quarters of 1%. On the amendment the roll call was recorded as: Blumiere — yes; Hilliard — yes; Leach — yes; Mendel — yes; Newman — yes; Perret — yes. The amendment carried. On the amended motion to adopt the ordinance, the same trustees voted yes and the motion carried.
The board approved the ordinance by roll call; the board’s stated next step is to file the ordinance with the state for processing and collection.
Details on how revenue will be allocated to specific budget lines were not specified during the meeting.