St. Charles among few local municipalities that hasn’t decided on 1% grocery tax in 2026

Most municipalities in Kane County have chosen to maintain the 1% grocery tax even after the state allows it to expire at the end of 2025.

Still, St. Charles has not yet decided whether it wants to continue receiving roughly $2 million in annual revenue from the tax.

Laz Marquez, owner of La Huerta in St. Charles, says that allowing the grocery tax to sunset would give his business and other grocery stores in St. Charles an advantage and ultimately benefit the city.

“I personally think St. Charles would be better off not imposing the tax,” Marquez said. “It’s more than just math. It’s more than just revenue. It’s also quality of life … I think St. Charles would be wise to pass on that tax and, instead, enjoy the benefits of additional volume coming in from surrounding cities.”

La Huerta, 580 S. Randall Road, is the only family-owned grocery store in St. Charles. Laz Marquez and his sister, Josie Marquez, have worked there since their parents opened it 20 years ago.

The St. Charles market is one of nine stores in Illinois owned by the Marquez family. The first La Huerta opened in Addison in 1981.

When announcing the sunsetting of the grocery tax, Gov. JB Pritzker gave every municipality in Illinois the option to implement their own grocery tax. Each local tax enacted will be identical to the state tax.

Municipalities have until Oct. 1 to approve an ordinance if they want to implement the tax by the first of next year.

So far, St. Charles has not taken up the issue.

Mayor Clint Hull said while the decision is on the city staff‘s radar, the formal review process has yet to begin.

Officials from municipalities that enacted the ordinance have cited the revenue they would lose without the tax as the main reason for imposing it.

Hull said he understands both sides of the argument regarding the tax. While he noted that eliminating the tax could make St. Charles more attractive, he pointed out that the tax has been in place for some time, and the revenue has funded many positive initiatives.

The mayor did not speculate whether a 1% tax reduction would attract shoppers from neighboring communities to St. Charles. However, he said he looks forward to hearing the opinions of local business owners during the review process.