If you rent a storage unit in the Village of Plainfield, you could soon be hit with a tax bill.
The Plainfield Village Board during Monday’s committee of the whole workshop reviewed a joint memo from Ashton Stipp, management analyst; Traci Pleckham, assistant village administrator and director of management services; and Jake Melrose, development director, regarding imposing a self-storage tax of 5 percent of the gross rental or lease charge for each person who rents a storage space.
These types of charges typically are paid by a renter on a monthly or quarterly basis. Village officials said the self-storage facility would be responsible for keeping records and submitting payments to the village.
In their memo, Stipp, Pleckham and Melrose said most municipalities charge a 5 percent tax, such as Romeoville. While Bedford Park and Mundelein only charge 3 percent, other communities like River Grove impose a 4 percent sales tax on self-storage units.
Village trustee Richard Kiefer was supportive of the storage unit tax, as was Margie Bonuchi.
“I want to bring us up to code with neighboring communities,” Kiefer said.
Trustee Patricia Kalkanis said she prefers the tax to be less than 5 percent, if it is imposed in Plainfield.
But trustee Cally Larson did not like the idea.
“It is not a friendly welcome to town,” she said. “It is punitive.”
Stipp said since Romeoville instituted the storage tax eight months ago, the municipality received $60,000 in taxes from five storage facilities in the community. Romeoville is the only nearby community that has a tax on storage units.
Additionally, staff on Monday asked for trustees’ direction on eliminating the amusement tax of 1 percent of all gross receipts on businesses that hold various sports, performances, films and other activities where spectators pay for admission or participation. The village board was in favor of repealing the amusement tax.
Amusement tax does not apply to gaming, and staff said such tax is only imposed in places like bowling alleys in the village and it is challenging to interpret and enforce it.
Because only a couple of businesses have been submitting payments since the tax was implemented in 1995, staff said the village only collects minimal revenue. In fiscal year 2024, the village only collected $14,292.98 and staff projects only $5,735 in revenues during fiscal year 2025, according to Stipp.
“If the board proposes elimination of the amusement tax, there would be that reduction in revenue,” according to the memo. ” This loss could be remedied by the potential self-storage tax.”
Committee of the whole workshops are meant for discussion only as formal votes are taken at village board meetings. The board will likely vote on repealing the amusement tax and possibly instituting the storage tax at a meeting in August or September.
