Streator council OKs new 6 a.m. alcohol serving time on Sundays for all businesses

For those diners who like a mimosa or bloody mary with Sunday brunch, they soon will be able to have that opportunity in Streator.

The Streator City Council voted 4-1 in favor of earlier hours for serving alcohol on Sundays. The ordinance change will allow for all businesses selling alcohol, including retailers, taverns and restaurants to sell alcohol beginning at 6 a.m. on Sundays. The previous rule said businesses could not start selling alcohol until 10 a.m. on Sundays.

Mayor Tara Bedei was the lone dissenting vote, saying as liquor commissioner she will accept the council’s vote, but she believed 6 a.m. was too early to allow taverns and restaurants to start pouring alcoholic beverages. She had said she didn’t have a problem with allowing packaged alcohol sales only because people may be buying the alcohol for later consumption, such as for cookouts or fishing trips. She did vote in favor of an ordinance that would have changed the hours only for packaged liquor sales.

Council member David Reed said he voted in favor of the earlier alcohol time for all businesses, because restaurants were among the businesses that requested the time change so they could serve cocktails during brunch. He also said he trusted tavern owners to be responsible, noting most of them likely will not open too early, because there will not be a strong demand for it.

Council member David “Moose” Conner said he believed if the alcohol hours were changed, they should be for all businesses and be consistent seven days in the week.

City Attorney Sheryl Churney said the ordinance will take effect 10 days after it is published. Bedei said letters will be issued to liquor license holders to inform them of the new rules and when the ordinance will go into effect.