Manteno expands Sunday liquor sales

Soon, there will be an additional two hours for people to purchase alcohol within Manteno.

The Manteno Village Board approved an extension to the Sunday morning time frame for buying alcoholic beverages.

Mayor Annette LaMore cast the tie-breaking vote Monday in a 4-3 decision to move the liquor sales start time on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 a.m., amending the liquor hours ordinance in the village of Manteno municipal code.

Trustees Michael Barry, CJ Boudreau and Peggy Vaughn voted in favor of moving up the start time, while Trustees Todd Crockett, Annette Zimbelman and Joel Gesky voted against it.

“One of the things that was brought up is that a lot of the other communities in our county have [earlier] times,” LaMore said.

Vaughn said Manteno is missing out on a possible increase of sales tax revenue, as residents likely will travel elsewhere to buy alcohol on Sunday mornings.

“You’ve got Bradley, Bourbonnais, Kankakee – they’re making money off of this,” Vaughn said. “They can do their gaming, as well, so they’re getting some revenue off this. You know, there may be some time that we’re going to need this money.”

Gaming is in line with the start of liquor sales, so there’s potential revenue from video gaming machines, too.

“I don’t think we’re doing anything that hasn’t been done in other towns in the county,” LaMore said.

Crockett said the liquor ordinance had been discussed at least three other times, and the village kept the later time to stay in line with the wishes of the local churches.

Manteno did allow for one-day special-use permits to start sales earlier on Sundays for organizations such as the American Legion and Manteno Sportsmen’s Club in an amendment in May 2024.

It also was brought up that if someone really needed beer, wine or liquor for a Sunday event, those items could be purchased ahead of time Saturday.

“It’s come up three or four times, and we’ve had churches go against it,” Gesky said.

Gesky also noted that communities to the north, such as Frankfort and Plainfield, allow sales starting at 11 a.m., while Manhattan starts sales at noon and New Lenox begins sale at 10 a.m.

Sunday liquor sales in Bradley begin at 8 a.m., while sales in Bourbonnais start at 9 a.m. and sales in Kankakee begin at 10 a.m.

LaMore broke the tie on the liquor ordinance, as she did on the go-ahead for a forensic audit earlier in the meeting. She said it’s a sign that the board is beginning to work together on making decisions.

“I’m thrilled,” she said after the meeting. “It just takes time.”