Upset over Cook County’s recent decision to raise its sales tax, one village council is threatening to secede, either by setting up a new county or joining an adjacent existing one.
The move comes as Illinois legislators recently introduced bills that would allow townships to secede and form their own county.
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has said he will meet with officials from the Palatine Village Council to discuss the problem, though no date has been set yet.
Palatine officials threatened to secede a few weeks after Cook County commissioners voted to raise the sales tax by 1%, putting Chicago’s sales tax at 10.5%, among the highest in the nation. The Palatine sales tax will now be 10% — 3% higher than the sales tax of Lake County, which borders the village. Officials say the village will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales revenue annually as shoppers cross the county border to avoid Cook’s higher sales tax.
Palatine officials said they would meet with officials from other areas to assess other municipalities’ interest in secession. The move would have to be approved by voters of the area, as well as voters throughout the larger county. There are 120 municipalities in Cook County.
