The Homer Glen Village Board is working to update its regulations regarding tobacco and gaming licenses as a six-month moratorium on issuing new licenses will soon expire.
Village officials are comparing their codes with surrounding communities. A moratorium on issuing new licenses expires March 13, and it could be lifted or continued, they said.
Homer Glen has 24 businesses with tobacco licenses, including 11 stores that primarily sell tobacco products.
“We have way too many tobacco shops in Homer Glen,” Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said.
The sentiment was echoed by other elected officials at Wednesday’s Village Board meeting.
“I think it needs to be a little bit more regulated than it is,” Trustee Rose Reynders said. “I think our ordinance needs to be a little more restrictive for us to be able to limit them.”
One option under consideration is to limit the location of tobacco shops so they are not located within 100 feet of any school, child care center, public park or building used for either education or recreation for children.
Another option would prevent a large number of shops in one area by making sure shops are at least 1,000 feet from another tobacco, alternative nicotine or vapor store.
Village officials also may require applicants to undergo a background check, which Neitzke-Troike and other elected officials support.
Trustee Jennifer Consolino said she liked the idea of higher license fees, citing both Frankfort and Romeoville that charge the highest fees of the municipalities surveyed.
Trustees are also considering whether to limit the number of tobacco licenses they will issue and whether applicants would need Village Board approval.
Board members are also deliberating how to update gaming codes, and an updated ordinance is expected to come to the board in March.
Proposals include increasing the application license fee, which is split between the business and the terminal operator, from $500 to $750 per terminal and increasing the terminal operator fee from $1,000 to $3,000 per location.
Other options include increasing the minimum square footage of a business with gaming machines from 1,500 square feet to 2,000 square feet, requiring a business to be in continuous operation for a year before receiving a gaming license and ensuring that at least 60% of its revenue comes from the sale of food and drinks.
Economic Development Director Janie Patch said the updates will bring Homer Glen in line with other communities.
The village wants businesses to be a restaurant and not a gaming café, Patch said.
“The gaming is to be an ancillary use to a restaurant, not a main revenue generator,” she said.
She said gaming was offered to existing restaurants as a way for them to retain customers and help them compete in the market. The village does not want small gaming cafes popping up in strip malls. Patch said Homer Glen wants to ensure businesses are there for the long term.
“It’s a balancing act. Yes, you can still do this in Homer Glen,” Patch said. “We want new opportunities to dine and socialize in Homer Glen, not (businesses) looking to make a quick buck from gaming.”
The Village Board also approved hiring engineering firm HR Green to study five potential sites to build a wastewater treatment facility.
The firm will help decide which of the sites would be best and provide a general site plan and layout. The study would not exceed $20,240, according to village documents.
Lockport has agreed to provide wastewater treatment services at its Bonnie Brae Forest Manor Sanitary District through 2030, but Lockport officials have expressed concern the Bonnie Brae plant is beyond its useful lifespan.
The village has about 7,000 acres of mostly vacant property bound by 151st and 159th streets and Gougar and Cedar roads that need wastewater treatment services.
The village is studying all options, including building a wastewater treatment plant, partnering with Lockport beyond 2030 or partnering with Illinois American Water. No decisions have been reached.
“We are looking for the best options for existing residents and future residents,” Neitzke-Troike said. “It is one of our top priorities.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.