Add Momence to the list of Illinois municipalities that have approved the 1% grocery tax.

Earlier this month, by a 5-0 vote, Momence City Council members approved the tax.

Currently in place by the state of Illinois, the tax is set to expire Dec. 31. The tax could be reinstituted by municipal boards, taking effect Jan. 1.

Momence is part of a growing list of Kankakee County communities that have voted to keep the tax in place to help fund the municipal budget.

Bradley, Bourbonnais, Manteno, Kankakee and Aroma Park are among area communities to have already adopted the ordinance.

The ordinance needs to be ratified by no later than Oct. 1.

The tax generates about $70,000 for Momence.

Among other sites in Momence selling grocery items, the city is home to a Berkot’s grocery store and a Dollar General store, both located along Dixie Highway.

On a grocery store bill of $200, the tax would add $2 to the purchase.

The 1% sales tax does not apply to medication sales or vehicles.

Momence Mayor Chuck Steele said the city does not realize a substantial amount of money through the tax, but with the recent loss of employers such as Johnsonville and Gilbert Mary Lee, Steele said the city could not let the grocery tax slip away.

“We couldn’t afford to let it pass,” Steele said. “We couldn’t afford to lose any more.”

The grocery tax has been in place since the 1990s, when it was instituted by the state of Illinois.