Naperville is poised to instate a 1% grocery sales tax in 2026 after one elected official indicated he had a change of heart, and the city council’s narrow vote between it and an increase in the home rule sales tax swung in the other direction at a meeting Tuesday, Aug. 19.
Last month, the council in a 5-4 vote lent its support toward a home rule sales tax increase by 0.25% — for a total of 1% — on purchases made within the city for general merchandise and food for immediate consumption.
But at the most recent meeting, the method of a motion of substitution was used to swap out the home rule sales tax increase with a 1% grocery sales tax, basing the vote on an ordinance presented last month.
Local grocery tax to replace state one being eliminated in 2026
Municipalities have been given the leeway to decide whether to impose the longstanding 1% grocery sales tax, in place across Illinois since the early 1990s, as a local revenue generator when the statewide tax is eliminated as of January 1, 2026.
Last month’s Naperville City Council vote favored the home rule sales tax hike in lieu of a local grocery tax to address a projected $6.5 million shortfall without either option in place.
Councilman Benjamin White reverses course, explains reasoning
“I’ve gone back and forth on this,” said Councilman Benjamin White, who last month voted in favor of the home rule sales tax increase, but reversed his vote at the Aug. 19 meeting.
Mayor Scott Wehrli joined White in casting a “yes” vote for the grocery sales tax option, as did councilmembers Allison Longenbaugh, Josh McBroom, and Nate Wilson, all of whom followed the same course of action last month.
Councilmembers Mary Gibson, Ian Holzhauer, Patrick Kelly, and Ashfaq Syed maintained their opposition to the grocery sales tax at the Aug. 19 meeting.
After mulling the two options, White said he believed the continuation of the grocery sales tax would be the least punitive option on the overall community, since it has been in place for decades.
“In my opinion, with the grocery tax, by keeping it where it is … it doesn’t affect our residents,” White said. “I think they’re used to paying that particular tax. To have our businesses pick up that slack — I’m struggling with that.”
White, who in the past has been involved with the nonprofit organization Loaves & Fishes Community Services, said he does acknowledge the challenges some people within the community face when it comes to their most basic needs.
“This is a tough one,” White said of deciding between the two sales tax options. “Food is a big insecurity for people.”
Head of local chamber of commerce weighs in on debate
Kaylin Risvold, president and CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, made a last-minute appeal before the council’s deliberations at the recent meeting.
As the agenda item was taken up, Risvold shared concerns with the impact the home rule sales tax would have on businesses across Naperville. She argued increasing the home rule sales tax could leave merchants within the community at a competitive disadvantage, which would have trickle-down effects.
“Every edge we can give our businesses in town is a win,” Risvold said. “When our businesses succeed, they help shoulder more of the tax burden, easing it for our residents.”
Other council members weigh in as sales tax debate continues
While White changed his decision on the home rule sales tax in the past month, other members of the Naperville City Council maintained their perspectives on the two options that have been on the table this summer as 2026 budget deliberations get underway.
In explaining his position for the home rule sales tax increase, Holzhauer said he believed Naperville could set an example by stepping up and providing relief to people in need of their most basic needs.
Holzhauer said he was also concerned about the continuation of the grocery sales tax at a time when some people are losing their SNAP benefits.
“They are not used to paying the grocery tax because they used to get benefits that they otherwise couldn’t afford,” Holzhauer said.
While organizations such as Loaves & Fishes are in place to assist people facing food insecurity, Holzhauer added he was concerned with the growing number of people in need of assistance.
“There is only so far that we can push that social safety net before it breaks,” Holzhauer said.
McBroom is the council liaison to the city’s Financial Advisory Board, which early this year favored a continuation of the grocery tax, citing the stability it would provide to the bottom line as a revenue source.
“If you really study the two taxes, I don’t think it’s even close,” McBroom said. “The home rule sales tax is a volatile tax. We can say that we think it will bring in $6.5 million — maybe it will, maybe it won’t — but you are tying sales to our essential services.”
If revenue generated from a home rule sales tax comes in less than anticipated, McBroom argued it could weigh on Naperville’s bottom line and could impact core services.
“If you are worried about vulnerable people, vulnerable people need police; vulnerable people need the fire department to come to their neighborhood,” McBroom said.
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