Glenview trustees discuss whether, and how, village should aid restaurants

COVID-19 put way too much on everyone's plate. In the case of restaurants, though, it was far too little.

Glenview trustees on Tuesday addressed just that - how, or even if, it should help community restaurants.

At the remote meeting, Village Planning Manager Jeff Rogers led a presentation on models to assist restaurants financially. Trustees met those models with varying degrees of acceptance.

One model offered a waiver or reduction of liquor license fees. Rogers noted Glenview has 82 restaurants that hold liquor licenses, providing $150,900 annually to the village.

Also discussed was a waiver or reduction of annual restaurant inspections. Charged $95 annually, for the 193 inspections of retail food service restaurants and brewpubs in the village, it accounts for $18,335.

A third option, which drew most of the argument, was a grant or refund of local sales tax grants, from 25% on up to 100%. The complete refund would equal $2.4 million. A flat dollar amount to qualified applicants also was on the table.

"Specifically, we're asking the board of trustees to consider whether a financial-assistance program is appropriate," Rogers said. "If so, what components of such a program should be considered."

Rogers said that a May survey of restaurants indicated they were suffering losses of one-third to one-half of their typical revenues.

"Since that time it's anecdotally gotten worse for most of our restaurants, especially as we enter our winter season. The ability for many of these restaurants to survive on outdoor dining operations during cold weather months is expected to be very, very poor," Rogers said.

Trustees certainly felt for the straits these restaurants are in. However, some felt that something seemingly so altruistic and natural as aiding these companies does come with a logical snag. A couple of them, actually.

"I'm just afraid that what we can do won't be enough to really, for lack of a better term, move the needle," said trustee Chuck Gitles.

Fellow trustee John Hinkamp was more direct.

"I don't think this is something that we should be involved in," he said. "Frankly, this is a check written out of Springfield that now we're being asked to cash. When we start this with restaurants, what are we going to do when the dry cleaners come, what are we going to do when the beauty salons come ... It's just not fair."

Another trustee, Karim Khoja, thought along those lines, thinking about the entirety of Glenview businesses.

Trustee Deb Karton introduced the thought that whatever aid the village might decide to provide should be restricted to those establishments that have followed mitigation procedures. Winnowing the discussion down to how trustees felt about the waivers or reductions of fees, most felt that was warranted.

As far as a grant or refund, which included the consideration of where the money would come from - permanent, general revenue or corporate funds - the total amounts suggested by Karton ($500,000) and trustees Mary Cooper and Mike Jenny ($1 million to $1.2 million) seemed to carry the day.

Upon further crafting by Rogers, the issue will return to the board.

"It looks like we would like to see something come back on Jan. 5 that would include the liquor license waiving, the inspection waiving, consideration for both of those - something that has to do with probably a mix of variable (funding) that is capped somewhere between $500,000 and $1.2 million, and we'll vote on that," Village President Jim Patterson said.

" ... And then the last thing would be, to trustee Karton's (point), some type of a waiver that says you don't qualify if you're not compliant," Patterson said.

Hinkamp was unswayed.

"Once we do this," he said, "the shingle is out."