Moultrie County Board greenlights grocery tax

SULLIVAN — As the Illinois state grocery sales tax winds down and sunsets at the end of 2025, county and local governments have taken action to ensure they continue to receive the tax revenue.

The Moultrie County Board approved a proposal during its August 14 meeting, ensuring they receive the 1% tax on groceries beginning in 2026. Their share of the tax will only come from food retailers in unincorporated areas of the county. Municipalities such as Sullivan, Allenville, Arthur (Moultrie County side), Bethany, Dalton City, and Lovington are allowed to pursue their own grocery tax for retailers within their corporate boundaries.

Among other items of business were:

• Appointing Joe Wallis to a vacant seat on the Board. The vacancy was created earlier this summer by Scott Buxton after facing criminal charges. Wallis will serve the remainder of the term, which expires November 30, 2026.
• Approval of the 2024 financial audit with a corrective action plan attached. Josh Roe, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, stated the county’s financial plans continue to improve.
• Approval of several appointments to public office: Bill Harlin as trustee of the Lovington Fire Protection District, and David Fathaur as commissioner to the Union Drainage District, which services Dora and Mt. Zion Townships.
• Approval of a liquor license for Countryside Blessings and the 2026 holiday calendar.

Following a closed session, the Board approved a settlement with real estate website Zillow for $30,000.

Zillow initially filed a lawsuit in 2021 against Moultrie County after the county denied full access to assessment information from 2020 via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) inquiry.

The case was found in Zillow’s favor in October 2023, and they requested an award of $48,324.42 in attorney fees and costs, and a civil penalty of $5,000 for the defendants’ willful noncompliance with FOIA.

Moultrie County filed an appeal in January 2024, which was dismissed on grounds stated in a January 9, 2025 filing stating the following:

Rule 304(a) does not allow a trial court to confer appellate jurisdiction by simply employing the Rule 304(a) language that there is no just reason to delay enforcement or appeal. After reviewing the record, we conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in finding that there was no just reason to delay the appeal of the order entered on October 19, 2023. Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed for lack of proper appellate jurisdiction under Rule 304(a).

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