Proposed Business Tax Expansion Would Affect Homes As Well

The Joliet City council continued discussions on the proposed business tax expansion in downtown Joliet this past week’s meeting. In the discussion City Manager Joe Hock mentioned that some residential properties would be included in the proposed increase.

The City of Joliet currently has a business property tax in place that only affects businesses built in a certain area of downtown. The city council is proposing that the area for which this tax is in effect should be expanded to include commercial districts on Cass, Collins and South Chicago streets. Hock has now added that the expansion would include not only those commercial districts and the boundaries include some residential houses.

Hock stated that, “As much as we could, we excluded residential wherever we could,” as to not push homeowners away with a slight tax increase. This week’s meeting was legally the last possible meeting to vote on any changes to the boundary of the proposed increase and the vote for expansion is still scheduled for December 20.