RICHMOND, IN — The Richmond Common Council will vote on a resolution at its Monday, Nov. 17, meeting that, if passed, will pave the way for the city to implement a food and beverage tax.
The resolution says the Common Council will express its support for the tax’s adoption and impose the tax on retail sales of food and beverages within the city’s limits.
It adds that the tax would provide additional income for the city to “support essential municipal services and capital improvements for the benefit of Richmond residents and visitors.”
Attached to the resolution is a memo from city attorney Andrew Sickmann that says if the resolution is passed, there will be a public hearing on the ordinance at a future meeting, where it’s the only item on the agenda. The earliest the ordinance can be made available for introduction would be the council’s first meeting in December.
On the city’s website, it outlines what the tax would look like. The outline says the tax would be 1% and would apply to food and beverages served in restaurants, bars and cafes, catered events in Richmond and prepared or heated foods sold at grocery store delis.
The tax would not include, according to the website, items that are sold as grocery items and not prepared or heated on site (such as packaged items).
The outline adds that the revenue generated from the tax would be used for:
Evan Weaver is a news and sports reporter at The Palladium-Item. Contact him on X (@evan_weaver7) or email at eweaver@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Richmond council to vote on resolution supporting food, beverage tax next week
Reporting by Evan Weaver, Richmond Palladium-Item / Richmond Palladium-Item
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