Buffalo Grove moving to ditch Cook County wage, sick day laws

Buffalo Grove, its business community split between Cook and Lake counties, will likely join the growing number of communities opting out of Cook County's minimum wage and sick leave requirements.

At Monday's village board committee of the whole meeting, trustees spoke in favor having the staff craft an opt-out ordinance for a future board vote.

Based on data from the village's business licensing database, officials estimate 25 percent of the village's businesses are located in Cook County, while the remainder are in Lake County.

"To put this in perspective, say, for example, the Buffalo Restaurant on the north side of Lake-Cook Road is in Lake County. You also have Countyline Tavern, which is on the north side of Lake-Cook Road, but that happens to be in Cook County," said Community Development Director Christopher Stilling. "If we decide not to opt out, Countyline Tavern would have to comply with the new requirements, whereas the Buffalo Restaurant would not have to comply with these new requirements."

Officials believe the new ordinance should be applied across the entire state rather than locally to ensure consistency and a level playing field.

Under the county ordinances, the minimum wage would increase gradually each year until 2020, when it would reach $13 an hour, and employers would have to provide sick leave.

"There is absolutely no reason why a quarter of the businesses in this community should be at a substantial disadvantage competitively with other communities and with even our own businesses," said Trustee Jeffrey Berman.