Joliet approves liquor and gambling for all gas stations

The Joliet City Council on Tuesday in a divided vote ended a ban in place since at least 1989 on alcohol sales at gas stations and allowed on-site consumption and video gambling as well.

The 5-3 vote approving two new liquor licenses designed specifically for gas stations came under legal pressure after the city already lost a case before the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.

The council met twice in closed session for a total of about 45 minutes before voting.

“It is a tough decision to make,” Councilwoman Bettye Gavin said before voting for the proposed liquor licenses.

Also voting yes were Jan Quillman, Joe Clement, Cesar Guerrero and Terry Morris.

Voting no were Pat Mudron, Sherri Reardon and Larry Hug.

The city created two licenses: a BG license for the sale of beer and wine for consumption on premises in conjunction with video gambling; and a CG license for the sale of packaged beer and wine.

The latest proposal lifts the two-license limit previously put on the license for on-site consumption and video gambling under a previous proposal. Now there is no limit on the number of BG and CG licenses, although they must be approved by the mayor and city council.

For both licenses, alcohol sales are allowed until midnight. Packaged sales can resume at 6 a.m. On-site consumption can resume at 10 a.m.

The council two weeks ago tabled a vote on the matter.

After that, an attorney for Terry Lambert, the owner of a Mobil station at Broadway and Theodore streets, said he would pursue a court order to enforce the state commission’s ruling that Joliet must provide a Class A license, which also provides for the sale of hard liquor, to the station.

The BG and CG licenses were created as a compromise with Lambert, who appealed to the state commission after being denied the alcohol and gambling license the city gave the Thorntons gas station that opened last year at Jackson and Collins streets.

The Thorntons agreement was designed to be a one-time deal in exchange for the company’s agreement to contribute $300,000 to the relocation of the 19th Century Casseday house off the gas station site to a new spot where the building could be preserved.

Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, also the city’s liquor commissioner, at the time had recommended against the license for Thorntons, pointing to the number of gas stations regularly calling his office for liquor licenses.

Two gas stations were represented at the council meeting Tuesday urging approval of the new licenses, and several stations already have put in applications for the licenses.