Favor Sales Tax To Keep Golf Mill Viable?

The Niles village board will listen to public comments Tuesday on whether to impose a 0.25 percent (25 cents on $100) sales tax on merchandise sold at Golf Mill Shopping Center.

The tax would go to fund improvements at Golf Mill to make infrastructure and appearance upgrades and freshen it. At a village board meeting in August, Mike Williams, Golf Mill's general manager, said those improvements are necessary to keep the mall competitive with improvements at Randhurst Village in Mount Prospect, as well as a new Rosemont mall scheduled to open this spring.

Williams and two consultants said the mall cannot get financing for the improvements it wants to implement, making the partnership with village government necessary for them. 

Consequently, Golf Mill representatives and village staff told trustees at that August meeting of as defined in Illinois law. The law enables the village to collect a tax imposed on sales at the mall, and channel those to the mall for the purpose of making improvements. The village does not keep any of the money, nor is it liable for any money, according to earlier statements made by Golf Mill and village representatives.

Customers at Niles businesses outside of Golf Mill would not have to pay the proposed sales tax. However, the in January in order to fund its stormwater plan to provide relief to residents whose homes flood.

The Golf Mill sales tax would come on top of that just-passed sales tax. 

The Niles village board would have to approve the proposal to raise the sales tax at Golf Mill to fund the improvements. 

Niles residents may tell village board members their opinion on the matter by emailing their comments or stating their views in person Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the 7 p.m. public hearing atin Civic Center Plaza, at the southeast corner of Waukegan Road and Oakton Street.

Email addresses for village officials can be found here.

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