Joliet reverses position on gambling and liquor at BP station

The Joliet City Council has reversed a previous decision to deny a liquor and gambling license for a BP gas station on Jefferson Street.

Mayor Terry D’Arcy, who also is liquor commissioner for Joliet, was among those changing his vote on the matter and said he intended to cap such licenses at five with the approval for the BP station.

The council on Tuesday voted 7-2 to allow the license after voting 7-2 to deny it two weeks earlier. The BP station is at 1987 W. Jefferson St., which is the corner of Hammes Avenue.

The reversal was urged by D’Arcy.

“I didn’t do my homework on this,” D’Arcy told the council, explaining why he had brought the applicant back for another vote. “I was wrong in jumping the gun. He didn’t have a chance to speak last time when the vote happened.”

The vote was for the transfer of an existing BG license, which allows for the sale of open and packaged liquor as well as video gambling at gas stations. State law requires that operators of video gambling establishments also have licenses to sell open liquor.

The BP station already has the BG license. But it is in the process of being sold, and prospective owner Japtej S. Aulakh needs city approval for the license to transfer to his name.

City officials said the BP station has never sold open liquor and that Aulakh does not intend to sell open liquor to customers.

“He has no plans at all to be pouring liquor,” council member Suzanna Ibarra said. “He wants them to take their packaged liquor and go.”

Ibarra said the council was misled in the previous vote by one of its members to believe that liquor would be “flowing freely at the gas station.”

She did not mention names, but council member Larry Hug said Ibarra meant him.

“Actually, I did not mislead anybody,” Hug said. “All we have is his word that he will not do it.”

Hug, a steady opponent of BG licenses, emphasized that they give gas stations the right to sell open liquor regardless of what they tell city officials about their plans.

D’Arcy said he intended to cap the number of BG licenses issued by the city at the current number of five.

The city has had trouble controlling the number of BG licenses with stations appealing to the state liquor commission. Larger stations that include fuel sales for trucks also are able to get separately issued state licenses that allow for video gambling and liquor sales.