Burr Ridge Explains Dining Tax To Country Club

BURR RIDGE, IL — The Burr Ridge Village Board was set to vote on the annexation of the Edgewood Valley Country Club this week.

But officials knew the board would lack a quorum to legally meet, so the session was canceled.

One of the arguments for annexation is the income from the sales and place-of-eating taxes the village would receive. The club is now in Cook County's unincorporated area.

Patch obtained a November email from Village Administrator Evan Walter to a country club representative, in which Walter explains how the place-of-eating tax works.

He said the village assesses two taxes — a 1 percent sales tax and the 1 percent place-of-eating tax. No place-of-eating tax exists in the unincorporated area.

"I am very open to discuss the higher place-of-eating tax being reduced in scope and paid only in the strictest sense where the law requires it to be applied," Walter said in the email.

It would only be assessed to the dining room, not the pool area and any on-course snack facilities where food may be sold but no dining facilities exist, Walter said.

In an email to Patch, Walter said the "strictest sense" standard applies to all Burr Ridge restaurants.

"Every business falls under the same standard equally," Walter said.

The board is expected to take up the annexation issue at its March 28 meeting, he said.

In November, members of Edgewood Valley Country Club overwhelmingly approved a proposal to annex its 170 acres to Burr Ridge.

Patch wrote a story about the annexation request last month.