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Burr Ridge board directs $300,000 for Brookhaven Market; conditional $300,000 tied to possible 1% grocery tax
Summary
The board voted 5‑0 to direct staff to prepare a resolution for a $300,000 downtown business district reimbursement to Brookhaven Market and accepted an EDC recommendation that a second $300,000 be available if the village later adopts a 1% grocery tax; trustees debated the tax’s timing and equity implications but did not adopt the tax.
The Burr Ridge Village Board on Oct. 13 directed staff to prepare a resolution reflecting the Economic Development Committee’s two‑part recommendation to support Brookhaven Market’s interior renovations.
Under the EDC recommendation, the village would provide $300,000 immediately from the downtown business district fund toward roughly $1.13 million in interior improvements; the committee also recommended offering an additional $300,000 if the village later implements a 1% grocery tax, bringing the potential total to $600,000. The board’s motion to direct staff to prepare the resolution passed 5‑0.
Trustees debated whether to adopt the grocery tax now. Trustee (speaker 7) said he supported the $300,000 reimbursement but opposed reinstating a grocery tax on principle: "I think... it's a nice reprieve just to leave groceries... not tax those grocery items," he said. Trustee Smith, in contrast, called the conditional second payment "a win‑win," noting the grocery tax revenue would likely pay back the village’s investment in a few years and help cover rising costs such as the police pension.
Brookhaven representatives asked the board not to foreclose the conditional payment while the village considers the tax. Owner John Manos said the store’s remodeling costs exceeded the original budget and that Brookhaven had invested heavily to improve its Burr Ridge location. Attorney Jim Olguin (presenting on the owner’s behalf) urged the board to allow the store to return for consideration of the second payment if the tax is adopted later.
Staff clarified that the village is not voting to impose a grocery tax tonight; the EDC’s conditional recommendation simply authorizes staff to prepare language that would provide an additional $300,000 if the village later decides to levy the 1% grocery tax. Finance staff noted the downtown business district fund balance is substantial—around $3 million—and said both the unconditional and conditional payments would be funded from that account if approved.
What’s next: Staff will prepare a resolution specifying terms for the initial $300,000 reimbursement and the conditional language for the second $300,000; a separate discussion and any ordinance to adopt a grocery tax would take place later during budget deliberations.
