Mt. Prospect Blues Bar's liquor license suspended

Mount Prospect officials suspended Blues Bar's village liquor license while its state license is expired and unable to be renewed because of overdue taxes.

Mayor Arlene Juracek said the village placed an orange sticker on the business at 2 W. Busse Ave. announcing the suspension because of the financial issues between the downtown business's owners and the state.

Sue Hofer, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Revenue, said Blues Bar's state license recently expired, but the business was given an eight-day grace period that ended at midnight Friday.

The owners are unable to renew the state liquor license because of overdue taxes, Hofer said. She declined to say how much the business owes.

"Our goal is to collect the taxes due," Hofer said.

The owners of Blues Bar could not be reached for comment Monday, and calls to the business went unanswered.

While the overdue taxes can be paid in one lump sum, Hofer said the more common scenario in such situations is to work out a payment plan.

"Our goal is to keep businesses open," she said.

Mount Prospect suspended the bar's village license because among its requirements is possessing a valid state license first, Juracek said.

In April 2013, Mount Prospect trustees authorized a change to the business' liquor license to reflect a change in its ownership. According to a village memo, the change allowed Kimberly Oztekin, wife of Blues Bar owner Errol Oztekin, to "purchase the goodwill of the business and operate it under the ownership of BB BBQ Grill."

At the time, Juracek said the change was being made due to a reorganization under a personal bankruptcy of the ownership, not a bankruptcy of the business itself.