Will County committee advances several ordinance chapters; business taxation, peddlers, food safety and other updates move forward

Will County’s committee reviewed and moved a slate of ordinance chapters forward Wednesday, approving some measures as presented and amending others before sending them to the executive committee or scheduling follow-up work.

Business taxation: The committee adopted Chapter 1-11 as presented and will forward it to the executive committee in March. Members said most county business-tax provisions were repealed because state law preempts non‑home-rule counties from imposing many local business taxes; the remaining provision addresses recovery of sales tax for enterprise zones.

Regulatory repeals and limits: Committee accepted Chapter 1-12 (a repeal) after staff noted a state statute limits county authority over motor-race regulation to counties with fewer than 500,000 people. Members discussed that the change reduces county regulatory options for privately built racetracks and suggested legislative outreach if local control is desired.

Peddlers and solicitors: Because of state law, counties can require registration but may not charge a licensing fee for hawkers, peddlers and itinerant merchants. Staff said Will County will continue to register and notify the sheriff’s office; existing background-check practices will be reviewed for compliance with the revised statutory framework.

Food sanitation and temporary events: The committee reviewed Chapter 1-14, which aligns county language with the health department’s rules. Members clarified that temporary pop-up food giveaways open to the public require inspection and permitting; membership-only meals or sealed packaged food boxes are treated differently.

Raffles, bid contractors and other chapters: The committee moved charitable raffle and poker-run rules forward (Chapter 1-16), discussed bond and annual-license requirements, and approved updates to bid-contractor language (Chapter 1-17). For Chapter 1-18 (bathhouses and massage parlors), members removed a "commencing 60 days after passage" clause and struck redundant subsections before approving the chapter as amended.

Postponements and next steps: Committee members agreed to postpone lengthy chapters (1-19, 1-20, 1-21 and 1-22) to the next meeting so members can review the materials. Several items will require additional coordination with the county health department and the county executive's office before final adoption.

Votes and motions: Multiple motions to adopt or forward chapters were made by Member Newquist and seconded by Member Freeman; specific motions to amend Chapter 1-18 were moved by Member Bullock and carried. Where the transcript records committee approval, items are slated to go to the executive committee for further action.