Alton will do away with all of its late night liquor licenses in the near future.
The city council voted 5-2 on Wednesday to eliminate bars’ ability to sell alcoholic beverages until 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends.
“I just don't want to strain our police resources or endanger our officers unnecessarily,” said Alderwoman Martha Pfister, who introduced the amendment to the city’s ordinance, during the debate. “The Alton Police Department is entrusted with protecting all of Alton, not providing security to downtown bars at the expense of our taxpayers.”
Wednesday night’s vote reaffirms the city council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday night, where the city’s aldermen voted the same way.
However, owners and employees of some of the 13 bars in town that currently make use of a late night license rebuked the city’s council decision, saying the change will eliminate some of their small businesses’ most profitable hours and could lead to their closure.
“Punishing every single liquor licensee in Alton is ludicrous and a great injustice, especially knowing how essential that income is to their survival,” said Keith Hall, a co-owner of Danny’s Lounge. “I believe this is simply a persecution of an entire industry by the city on an unprecedented level.”
The impetus to limit alcohol sales stemmed from problems with drunken behavior in the city’s downtown, like fights around 3 a.m. last year, according to the Alton Police Department.
Alton Mayor David Goins and Police Chief Jarrett Ford, along with a majority of the city council, believe the change to the city’s ordinance will curb these problems.
“This resolution that we'll be voting on today will ensure the welfare of our community and hopefully attract and keep solid businesses,” said Alderwoman Rosie Brown just ahead of the vote. “We want to have working families. We want people to be able to thrive. We want our city to grow.”
Earlier this year, the city revoked the late-night licenses for two establishments, and two others also agreed to close at 1 a.m. The city also increased policing in downtown. The critics of Wednesday night’s vote say they wish the city had acted sooner, but the extra policing has worked.
“I understand expenditures. I have a business.” said Mike Klasner, the owner of Bubby and Sissy’s. “But the downtown area is not what it was two years ago, one year ago, or even five months ago. The chaos is gone.”
The Alton Police Department has filed four reports in downtown Alton between July 22 and Oct. 2, and none of them involved violent crime, according to the Alton Telegraph.
However, the additional policing is not sustainable, Madison County State’s Attorney and Alton resident Tom Haine said on Monday.
Critics contend the loss of hours will not only hurt them, but it will also hurt the city’s bottom line.
Alderman Michael Velloff, one of the two council members who voted against the measure, expressed skepticism that the city could not estimate how much it would lose in sales tax with fewer drinks being sold or video game terminals being played.
That revenue is received by the city in a lump sum and would not show transactions between 1 to 3 a.m., according to Comptroller Debbie Dunlap.
The Illinois Licensed Beverage Association, a Springfield-based group that advocates for bars across the state, estimates that 20% of income from gaming terminals and 20% of daily bar and restaurant sales occur during late night hours.
Using data from eight establishments from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the association concluded Alton made nearly $97,000 in gaming terminal revenue — and it estimates that Alton would lose more than $19,000 without the extra hours.
While there isn’t an estimate for taxes, losing 20% will have a ripple effect, Executive Director Keith Wetherell wrote in a new letter to Goins and the city council ahead of the vote.
“We respectfully urge the Alton City Council to postpone the consideration of this ordinance until a comprehensive economic analysis is completed and all stakeholders, including bar and restaurant owners, distributors, gaming operators, and local residents, are involved in the discussion,” he wrote. “Open collaboration will lead to better-informed decisions that protect Alton’s small businesses, preserve jobs, and maintain essential municipal revenue streams.”
There’s also a concern the change will put Alton at a competitive disadvantage with other towns. A vast majority of towns surrounding Alton, with the exception of Roxana and Grafton, allow bars to serve alcohol past 1 a.m. on weekends, according to the Alton Telegraph.
“What's being proposed, ending Alton's late night liquor licenses, is not a safety plan,” said Erin Frew, an Alton business owner. “It's an economic and leadership failure that will cost the city jobs, tax, revenue and long-term growth.”
As written, the change is scheduled to take effect on Dec. 31 just before midnight. However, Pfister said she’s considering amending the change to move the timeline back to April 1, 2026, which would also need to be voted on by the full council.
