Why self-storage soon will cost more in Mundelein

Putting your holiday decorations, unused furniture or comic book collection in a self-storage facility in Mundelein soon will cost more, thanks to a new tax.

The village board has created a 3% tax on self-storage unit rentals. Effective Jan. 1, the tax will be assessed on the gross rental charge and will be paid by people leasing units.

Fees will be collected by the owners of storage facilities and sent to the village quarterly. To cover administrative costs, facility owners can keep 3% of the cash they collect, documents indicate.

The board approved the tax with a 4-2 vote in late October. Trustees Erich Schwenk and Kara Lambert cast the "no" votes.

Schwenk said he opposed the plan because Mundelein doesn't charge a fee on other types of rent, such as rented apartments or commercial spaces.

"I would consider this a lease, just like any other," he said. "I'm not in favor of adding a tax on top of that."

The vote came more than a year after the board rejected a 5% tax on self-storage unit rentals. Schwenk and Lambert voted against the plan then, too, as did trustees Kerston Russell and Sol Cabachuela.

But this time, Russell and Cabachuela helped push the plan through.

Russell said he was torn about the proposal until a few days before the vote. He said he supported the tax because more money is needed to cover the rising costs of public safety and other services.

"As much as I don't want to do this, I'm afraid I'm going to have to say yes ... simply to protect the interests of the community," Russell said. "I don't think there's any way to cut back."

Mundelein has five self-storage facilities with about 2,400 units, officials said. A U-Haul storage facility has been proposed for land on Route 45 south of Hickory Street, and officials said they wanted to enact this tax before the company formalizes its plans.

Skokie, Morton Grove and North Chicago are among the few suburbs that charge storage rental fees, Mundelein officials have said.