Gurnee, Illinois is a suburb of Chicago. It offers a wide range of amenities, including Six Flags Great America, the recently closed Key Lime Cove, and other popular attractions.
In fact, Gurnee does so well with taxes collected from local business – around $17.5 million – that the residents do not currently pay property tax.
That soon may change.
Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik recently spoke to the members of the Gurnee Chamber of Commerce, and encouraged members to continue to shop locally, and encourage Gurnee residents to do the same.
She expressed concern that the increase in online shopping is hurting local business. If local business doesn’t thrive, the town won’t see the same level of sales tax revenue. If that continues to happen, the Mayor indicated that residents may have to start paying property taxes in the future.
The impact of the increase in online shopping has made the news as it affects brick and mortar retail stores – we’ve heard plenty about retail giants like Sears, JC Penney, and Macy’s – but this shows the impact on a smaller, more personal level. It’s hurting small business, which in turn can impact residents.
While online shopping is convenient, its impact is becoming visible in many aspects of our lives. Does the answer lie with brick and mortar retail – do they start accommodating and gearing up to more of an online presence, or will we get to a point in the future where online shopping is one of the only options available to us?
Only time will tell.
