New Lenox Approves New Tax on Groceries

Village of New Lenox Board of Trustees Meeting | August 2025

Article Summary: The New Lenox Village Board has officially adopted a new municipal grocery tax after the ordinance passed its second and final reading as part of the board’s consent agenda. The tax applies to both the sale and service of grocery items within the village.

Municipal Grocery Tax Key Points:

• The board approved Ordinance #3214, implementing a Municipal Grocery Retailers’ Occupation Tax and a Municipal Grocery Service Occupation Tax.

• The ordinances were passed without discussion as part of the consent agenda.

• This was the second and final reading required for the new tax to be formally adopted into the village code.

• The board also passed a related ordinance, #3215, to amend the village’s tax code accordingly.

Residents of New Lenox will soon see a new tax on their grocery bills after the Village Board on Monday, August 25, 2025, gave final approval to a municipal grocery tax.

The measures, Ordinance #3214 and Ordinance #3215, were passed as part of a 10-item consent agenda, a procedure used for routine items that do not require individual discussion. Because the items were on the consent agenda, they were approved in a single vote without comment from the board or the public.

The approval followed the ordinances’ second reading, which is the final step required for adoption. The first ordinance implements both a Municipal Grocery Retailers’ Occupation Tax and a Municipal Grocery Service Occupation Tax. The second ordinance officially amends the village’s tax code to incorporate the new home rule taxes. The specific rate of the tax was not discussed during the meeting but was established when the ordinance was first introduced at a previous meeting.

The motion to approve the entire consent agenda, including the new tax, was made by Trustee Keith Madsen and seconded by Trustee Lindsay Scalise, passing with a 7-0 vote.