Buffalo Grove debates restaurant's video gambling fees

In late February, Buffalo Grove's Original Bagel & Bialy restaurant paid $6,000 in village licensing fees to operate six video gambling machines through the end of April.

But the machines were in use for just a matter of weeks before the Illinois Gaming Board shut down gambling operations on March 20 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now the restaurant is asking village officials for a break on its fees.

Village President Beverly Sussman, in a July 23 email obtained by the Daily Herald, asked village trustees, "Is there anything we can do to help him? He is hurting because his restaurant was closed and only had pickup service until Phase 4."

The matter was discussed by the village board and, according to an Aug. 4 email, an initial poll indicated that four of seven board members were in favor of helping out.

One option would be editing the restaurant's video gambling license so that the $6,000 paid in February would be split up, with $1,500 applied to the license for 2019-20 and $4,500 applied to the license for 2020-21.

That would amount to a savings of $4,500 for the restaurant.

However, the village attorney, according to a July 30 email, recommended against making such an exception for just one establishment, especially in the highly regulated area of business licenses.

Sussman acknowledged the problem when asked about it this week.

"We want to make our businesses happy, but when you start a precedent, you don't know how other businesses will take it and how it will affect them," she said.

Village Manager Dane Bragg said the question is tentatively scheduled for further discussion at the village board's Aug. 31 committee-of-the-whole meeting.

Among those voicing skepticism is Trustee Lester Ottenheimer III.

"It can't be done the way it's proposed, because you can't pass an ordinance for just one entity," he said.

"We can't single out one business. We have to be fair to all businesses in Buffalo Grove," Trustee Gregory Pike added. "And how this came through in not being transparent and open in the public is highly concerning."