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Pharmacist appeals for Class 8 renewal; trustees say county criteria likely not met
Summary
Omar Hassad, co-owner of Tinley Park Apothecary, asked the Village Board to support renewing a Class 8 tax incentive and raised procedural questions. Trustees expressed sympathy but said Class 8 eligibility is set by Cook County and likely not met; staff and trustees offered alternative resources and referred the matter for committee review.
At the May 19 Village Board meeting, pharmacist and co‑owner Omar Hassad asked trustees to support renewal of a Cook County Class 8 tax incentive for his Tinley Park Apothecary and pressed the board for written answers about the application process.
"We are the last independent pharmacy in Tinley Park," Hassad said, describing tight margins in the independent‑pharmacy business and saying he paid a $1,000 check to apply for renewal through the county. He asked whether any applications were rejected before commission review, whether an objective scoring system and written findings exist, whether applicants were treated differently, who determined merits and whether there is an appeal process.
Trustees responded with sympathy for the business owner but stressed that Class 8 eligibility is set by county criteria focused on redevelopment and blight, not on a business's profit margins. Trustee Shaw said, "It simply doesn't meet the criteria today," adding that the program is intended as a temporary redevelopment incentive and that granting a single property a break shifts tax expense to other property taxpayers.
Board members suggested alternative avenues — including village business‑retention staff and Cook County business services — that may be better suited to address the pharmacy's cash‑flow and operational issues. One trustee said the matter had been referred back to the Economic & Community committee for further review and staff was asked to follow up.
Hassad also said he had not received a prior reply to an email he sent to trustees on May 15 and asked the board to respond; trustees asked staff to look into his questions and to check postal distribution problems the public raised earlier in the meeting.
The board did not take formal action to adopt a resolution supporting the Class 8 renewal during the meeting; trustees asked staff to investigate and said they would continue review in committee.
