Monee officials have tabled a pair of ordinances that have been in the works for a while, pending additional clarification.
During their May 14 meeting, the board opted to put the Bring Your Own Bottle and the grocery tax ordinances on hold after attorney Larry Gryczewski indicated they weren’t quite ready for board action.
The BYOB ordinance surfaced six months ago, after Gryczewski told the board one or two restaurants in the village that are struggling financially could possibly benefit from a liquor license allowing patrons to bring their own wine and beer to food establishments that do not serve alcoholic beverages.
Under terms of the ordinance, the restaurant owner would have to complete some required training, go through a background check, and would be required to have costly Dram shop liability insurance.
The ordinance also would place limits on the number of bottles or drinks a patron could bring into the restaurant, would prohibit homemade wine or beer, and could only be brought in by patrons aged 21 and older.
The board quickly questioned the wisdom and need for that type of license and, each time it has been brought up for discussion, it seems officials have had still more questions.
Even after lengthy discussions during recent board meetings, the tentative regulation is drawing concerns from Trustee Michael Wilson, who is, by profession, a police chief in another town. He has cautioned that a BYOB license could become a security headache.
Trustees Heidi Gonzalez, John Henson, and Scott Youdris also had concerns, but Trustee Doug Horne has not been opposed.
“We have different categories of liquor licenses for different establishments,” he said, “and I see this as just establishing another category to help our businesses.”
The grocery tax ordinance, meanwhile, was requested by Mayor Therese Bogs during the board’s March 26 meeting.
Illinois House Bill 3144 repeals the statewide tax on groceries and takes effect on January 1, 2026.
Bogs said the authority to implement a 1% grocery sales tax locally by ordinance was approved as part of the same legislation. To implement a replacement 1% grocery sales tax, municipalities must first adopt an ordinance. A certified copy of the ordinance must then be submitted to the Department of Revenue postmarked by October 1, in order for the tax to take effect on January 1, 2026.
Mayor Bogs asked for a motion to have Gryczewski write the ordinance. A consensus was taken, and all trustees were in favor of presenting the ordinance at the May 14 board meeting.
But during that meeting, Gryczewski said, “I believe this needs a little more clarification. We do have time on it, but I would recommend that we do table it for further consideration at the next board meeting.”
The board agreed and unanimously voted to table it.