Some Dolton business owners say they are stuck in a holding pattern waiting for the village to decide whether to renew their licenses to operate, while the administration says the permits are still under review by the village’s law firm.
Trustees said they’ve been contacted by business owners to ask about the holdup, although they can’t offer a clear picture about when license renewals might be coming.
Some business operators spoke out at a July 17 Village Board meeting, and Trustee Jason House said he has been contacted by businesses but is not sure how many may be affected.
“At this moment I am encouraging them to band together and come to the meetings,” House said Monday.
House said that he has been told the village administration is using a new review system to determine whether licenses should be renewed, and trustees haven’t been told that affected businesses are behind on payments for things such as fees or water bills.
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard suggested otherwise at the July 17 meeting, urging businesses waiting on renewals to “please, please fix whatever issues there are.”
Otherwise, the village attorney “is working on everything,” Henyard said.
Kirby Miles said he has not been able to operate his business, Lilah’s Sports Bar & Grill, since July 2022 because of his business license being under review.
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The business, which also advertises banquet space, opened in 2014 at 14908 Chicago Road and is named for his youngest daughter, he said Monday.
Miles said he’s been a regular visitor to Dolton Village Hall to ask for updates.
“There’s been no response, no correspondence, no anything,” he said Monday. “They just won’t give the license.”
George Mseeh, who operates Pablo’s Cafe & Bar, 1115 E. Sibley Blvd., with his wife, said his business was ordered closed July 5 although he submitted paperwork for a license renewal in April. He said renewals for the business were approved without issue in 2021 and 2022.
“You have all my paperwork since April,” Mseeh told the Village Board July 17. “When can I have a definite answer and get my place back open?”
He told the board he has a state liquor license as well as a state license for video gambling that are both valid through the end of 2024, which state records confirm.
The Daily Southtown reached out to all village trustees, as well as Mayor Tiffany Henyard and Keith Freeman, village administrator, about the business license reviews.
The Southtown was referred to the July 17 meeting where Henyard said licenses are still under review.
Trustee Kiana Belcher is relatively new to the Village Board, but said she had talked with other trustees and has been told the review process is taking longer than usual.
Belcher said Dolton is missing out on sales tax and other revenue the businesses would generate, and nobody in village administration “has a genuine explanation for what is happening.”
House said if the delay is because of changes in how Dolton is vetting the applications, then at a minimum the village should allow them to operate until that process is completed.
Miles said it is costing him $4,500 to $5,000 each month to keep up his business, including paying utilities and property taxes. He said he has real estate investment properties that help his family maintain an income, but said he is not sure how long he can maintain the Dolton property if he is unable to reopen.