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Manteno resident urges trustees to pause on short-term rental tax partnership with Visit Kankakee County
Summary
A Manteno short‑term rental host and small-business owner told trustees she opposes joining a Visit Kankakee County short-term rental tax partnership, asking for data on what tangible benefits Manteno would receive before adding a 5% tax.
Tiffany Parpart, a Manteno resident who said she owns several local small businesses and multiple short-term rentals, urged the Village Board on Oct. 20 not to move quickly into a partnership with Visit Kankakee County that would add a local short-term rental tax.
Parpart told the board short-term rental hosts in Manteno already pay a state occupancy tax and property taxes and said adding another 5 percent tax would be an additional burden. She said in the past three years she had paid over $74,000 in property and state-occupancy taxes and described limited, measurable benefit to Manteno from Visit Kankakee County promotions; she said one promotional event had brought two customers to her coffee shop.
Parpart asked trustees to request specific, measurable commitments from Visit Kankakee County about what the organization’s budget would deliver for Manteno’s Main Street before the village signs any partnership agreement. She framed her remarks around protecting downtown businesses, saying Manteno has relatively few restaurants and retail offerings that would immediately benefit from tourism marketing.
No formal action or ordinance proposing the short-term rental tax appeared on the Oct. 20 agenda. Trustees did not take a vote during the meeting; Parpart’s remarks were recorded as public comment for the board’s consideration.
