Easthampton council approves home-rule petition to seek eight additional liquor licenses

The Easthampton City Council voted April 8 to send a home-rule petition to the Massachusetts General Court asking permission to issue up to eight additional liquor licenses tied to locations within the city.

Counselor JP Kazinski summarized the petition during the public hearing, saying the licenses—originally approved around the start of the COVID period but never issued—would expand opportunities for restaurants, help downtown businesses and generate new revenue for the city. “There are several restaurants that have expressed interest,” he said during the presentation.

Evan Leau, assistant to the mayor and clerk of the licensing board, told the council there were no full-time license applications on file yet but that multiple businesses have expressed interest and should monitor the mayor’s office and the state licensing process. He explained the timeline: the council must petition the Legislature and, if authorization is granted, licenses would then be issued locally subject to state rules.

Councilor Tom Peak announced he would abstain from the vote because of a potential appearance of conflict: he serves on the board of an organization that holds a local liquor license. The motion passed on roll call with the majority voting in favor and one abstention.

What the petition would do: The ordinance text read into the record authorizes the city’s licensing authority to grant up to eight additional licenses pursuant to sections of Chapter 138 and includes restrictions on transfer outside the city, requirements for letters from state revenue and unemployment offices, and a return provision if a license is not used at the location of original issuance.

What’s next: If the Legislature enacts the special legislation the council requested, the city licensing authority would follow state procedures to issue the new licenses to eligible local applicants.