Freeport City Council Set to Push New Grocery Tax, Ratify Emergency Spending, and Fast-Track Zoning Changes

FREEPORT, IL – July 19, 2025

The Freeport City Council returns Monday night with a packed agenda and a growing cloud of concern from residents and watchdogs alike. The July 21, 2025 regular meeting, beginning at 6:00 p.m., includes votes on over $4.3 million in bills, $678,000 in payroll, a slew of retroactive emergency spending resolutions, and a second reading of a controversial 1% local grocery tax ordinance—a proposal being slammed by some as nothing more than a political shell game at the taxpayers’ expense.

The Grocery Tax: “Financial Relief” or Fiscal Sleight of Hand?

At the July 7 council meeting, the Miller administration justified the local grocery tax proposal by claiming it would replace roughly $800,000 in budget losses following Governor J.B. Pritzker’s statewide suspension of the 1% grocery tax—a move designed to give relief to taxpayers during uncertain economic times.

But many Freeport residents aren’t buying it.

What the Miller administration left out is that under the state grocery tax, Freeport only received a portion of the 1%. Now, under this new locally administered version, the entire 1% will go directly into city coffers. For a city under Home Rule, this is being seen by many as a cash grab disguised as budget patchwork.

“This feels less like responsible governance and more like raiding the pantry before the house burns down,” one resident commented online.

Raising Taxes... Again

The new grocery tax proposal comes just one year after Mayor Jodi Miller pushed through a citywide 1% sales tax increase in 2024—promising it would be dedicated solely to future road construction. However, FOIA documents obtained by Fighting4Freeport show that over half of the estimated $3 million raised from that tax has already been spent on past projects—many of them awarded to none other than Fehr Graham, the controversial engineering firm with deep ties to City Hall.

The move was a gamble—Mayor Miller betting that anticipated state and federal grants would help fill in the gaps. That gamble has not paid off.

Now, with another tax increase looming, residents are growing increasingly frustrated with the city’s “governing by overdraft” mentality.

“Freeport’s mayor is raising the tax burden twice in as many years,” says a Fighting4Freeport analysis. “She’s governing less like a fiscally responsible politician and more like a kid maxing out daddy’s credit cards and begging for a higher limit.”

$4.3M in Payables, More Emergency Spending

Council will vote to approve over $4.3 million in finance bills and an additional $678,000 in payroll and fringe benefits. These numbers—normally procedural—are increasingly scrutinized by taxpayers concerned about spending priorities and lack of long-term planning.

Additionally, a laundry list of emergency expenditures is up for ratification, including:

  • Emergency hauling and water repairs by Fischer Excavating

  • Emergency A/C unit rentals for the Police Department and city well houses

  • Emergency Dispatch Center repairs

  • Lighting work at Albertus Airport

  • Portable air conditioner purchases from Grainger

The city continues to label these as "unforeseen," but critics argue they reflect chronic neglect and poor infrastructure management—issues raised repeatedly in past meetings.

Fast-Tracked Zoning and Business Ordinances

Multiple zoning changes are also on the agenda—many expected to be rushed through via suspension of rules, bypassing standard procedure:

  • Re-zoning of key downtown properties

  • Variances for residential signage

  • Alcohol service and fitness center ordinance updates

  • A reintroduced solar energy proposal from Harmony UMC that previously failed for lack of a motion

Some of these changes could permanently impact neighborhood character, business use, and property values, and are again being pushed with little time for public scrutiny.

Other Notables:

  • Detective Justin Holden will be recognized by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

  • Council will also vote to award bids for:

    • The demolition of 17-19 W. Main Street

    • Concrete work for a fire station driveway

  • A new redevelopment agreement for 310 E. Jackson St. is also up for approval.

The meeting will close with an executive session, covering employee compensation, collective bargaining, and pending litigation—standard end-of-agenda fare that often hides the city’s most impactful internal discussions from public view.

Final Thoughts from Fighting4Freeport

If you’ve noticed your grocery bill getting higher and your neighborhood infrastructure falling apart, tonight’s meeting is a clear glimpse into why. Between recycled excuses, backdoor budget raids, and an unchecked Home Rule system, Freeport residents are right to question if their tax dollars are being used for the public good—or just funneled to a handful of connected vendors and contractors.

📣 Call to Action:
Show up. Speak out. Email your alderperson. Call the Mayor’s Office. Attend tonight’s meeting or stream it live. Make your voice heard—because if we don’t hold them accountable, who will?

—Brought to you and Paid for by Fighting4Freeport