Bar owner urges commissioners to restore 2 a.m. liquor hours; board schedules follow-up

Joe, a local bar owner who identified himself as the operator of "Martini Joe's," told the Williamson County Board of Commissioners on June 26 that restoring county liquor operating hours to 2 a.m. would help struggling small businesses while keeping patrons in a controlled environment instead of on the road.

"I've brought up about getting the license back to 2 AM," Joe said, adding that bar owners he knows are careful managers and that an extra 30 minutes would give establishments time to close more safely. He said the request was not for very late hours — "I'm not looking to put a 3:00 a.m., 4 a.m., 5:00 a.m."

A commissioner who reviewed neighboring counties said he had contacted 22 southern Illinois counties and found that 16 (about 73%) allow establishments to remain open until 2 a.m. He offered several options for the county: adopt 2 a.m. countywide on a trial basis, limit the extension to weekends, or coordinate with municipalities so closing times are aligned to reduce roadway travel.

Concerns about public safety shaped the discussion. One commissioner said the county should coordinate with municipalities because differing closing times could encourage patrons to drive from town establishments to county venues. "I wouldn't want to do anything that wasn't coordinated with municipalities," a commissioner said.

The board agreed to invite the state's attorney and the sheriff to the next meeting for a formal briefing on legal or public-safety implications and to place the item on the next agenda for a final decision. No vote to change hours was taken on June 26.

The next procedural step announced was to request written or in-person guidance from the state's attorney's office and the sheriff's office and return the item to the board for action at the following meeting.