Burr Ridge's Unexpected $2M 'Bonus' Explained

BURR RIDGE, IL – A top Burr Ridge official on Monday explained why the village received an unexpected $2 million from the state over the summer.

At a meeting a couple of weeks ago, Mayor Gary Grasso explained the $2 million as "an old accounting error." But he said the village needed to get more information from the state about it.

It turns out the money went to the village because a company with a Burr Ridge address hadn't paid sales taxes at its local address.

This was according to Village Administrator Evan Walter, who spoke at Monday's Village Board meeting.

He did not identify the company, citing a state law requiring confidentiality for specific taxpayers.

Walter described the company as a retail operation with a local post office box, but no employees or goods coming through. But the sales were booked as coming through Burr Ridge.

After the company paid the $2 million, it closed its operation, Walter said.

"So we're not going to get any further revenue," Walter said. "But it's not a bad one-time deal for us to get."

He noted the village's main account amounts to about $12 million a year, saying, "$2 million is a nice bonus."

Patch filed a public records request Tuesday with the state Department of Revenue, which collects sales taxes. The media outlet is seeking the lawsuit and the company's answer to it. The documents would provide the firm's identity.

(Update: The department on Sept. 16 declined Patch's request. It said the payment was not the result of a lawsuit, but likely the result of a voluntary disclosure by the taxpayer. The department includes information about its voluntary disclosure program on its website.)