Elgin makes changes to liquor commission

Elgin’s Liquor Control Commission will soon be composed of all council members instead of just two, thanks to a unanimously supported proposal by Mayor David Kaptain that was briefly discussed at a special committee meeting Wednesday evening.

In the past, the mayor has served as the head of the commission with two council members joining him at the table. Kaptain said he wanted to make a change to aid transparency and make the actions of the commission more visible to the community.

Councilman John Prigge added his approval to the proposal, saying he was looking forward to more involvement and the opportunity to learn about what has happened to the liquor control commission in the past.

Robert Gilliam is the only current council member with experience on the liquor commission. He most recently sat with former mayor Ed Schock and former councilman Mike Warren. Kaptain said the new and larger commission will rely heavily on Gilliam’s experience.

The way Elgin structures its liquor code, licenses are created for specific establishments, with individual regulations for each entity. At the April 13 council meeting, councilmen were asked to vote on creating a license the liquor commission had already conditionally approved.

By having the entire council on the commission, discomfort caused by situations like that one can be avoided.

Meetings for the group will be held at 4:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month in the council chambers of City Hall.