Liquor license renewal hinges on back taxes

An often annual formality turned into a complexity for a liquor license renewal at Monday’s Village Board meeting in Belgium.

Belgium Plaza, 105 Lakeview Dr., applied for a renewal but won’t be getting it right away.

Village Clerk Vickie Boehnlein said applicants are not allowed to have any debts to the village.

Belgium Plaza is delinquent on its property taxes, she said.

“They are aware of this,” Boehnlein said.

The license expires June 30. Boehnlein said the board could approve a license with the caveat that the business takes care of its tax bill, but she recommended putting a time limit on it.

“I think 30 days. You know it’s coming. It’s not new,” Village President Roseann Geib said.

Boehnlein said in the past former clerk Julie Lesar would check with the county and with Boehnlein to see if the business owed money for taxes or utilities.

During the transition to a new clerk, that step was missed and “they got away with it last year,” Boehnlein said.

It won’t this year.

“There is a history with the parties involved here. I would not give them more than 30 days,” Trustee Rose Sauers said.

The board unanimously approved the license contingent that Belgium Plaza makes good on its back taxes by July 31.