City of Alton - Committee of the Whole Meeting
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ALTON – A resolution to eliminate late night liquor licenses across Alton is on its way to the City Council for approval after community members voiced their opposition and support on Monday night.
Many of those who previously spoke against eliminating late night liquor licenses before the item was tabled last August returned at the Nov. 10, 2025 Committee of the Whole meeting to reiterate why they believe Alton businesses should be allowed to keep their late night licenses.
“These late night liquor hours are not just about staying open, they represent a significant part of our income and the city’s revenue,” said Michelle Oerter, a bartender at Danny’s Lounge. “Those few hours make the difference between getting by and falling behind. In this economy, that lost income would be devastating.”
Oerter said Mayor David Goins's decision to revoke two businesses’ late night liquor licenses, along with a long-requested greater police presence, have led to increased safety downtown. However, she emphasized that eliminating these licenses city-wide would mostly negatively impact law-abiding businesses.
“There are so many of us that don’t have those issues. If you take those [hours] away from us, you’re killing us and you’re killing this city,” she said. “Please don’t take the opportunities away from those that follow the rules.”
Keith Hall spoke against the proposed amendment as one of the co-owners of Danny’s Lounge. He described the 75-year-old establishment as “the oldest bar in downtown Alton,” but said the business may be forced to close if it loses its late night liquor license. Being unable to operate from 1 to 3 a.m. would amount to a yearly loss of about 468 hours of business or $100,000 in revenue – an amount he said is simply “not sustainable.”
“We’re all just trying to make a living through a tough economy,” Hall said. He asked if city officials had studied the economic impact this would have in terms of lost revenue for the city, and warned that bar owners, staff, and patrons would likely travel to nearby communities which allow late night liquor licenses, such as Godfrey and Wood River.
Alderman Michael Velloff asked later in the meeting for an estimate on the amount of revenue the city would lose if late night liquor licenses are eliminated. City officials indicated such an amount would be impossible to determine at this time, as monthly revenue reports contain no breakdown of the exact hours certain revenues are generated.
Alton resident and Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine spoke in support of eliminating late night liquor licenses, citing Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford’s support of the initiative.
“It’s a tough decision, but it’s a decision based on the welfare of the whole community,” Haine said. “I can tell you, over the last few years, [Ford] has never been as adamant about any single change than he is about this requested change to limit late night liquor licenses, and that’s not a small deal coming from your Police Chief.”
Haine cited arrests and criminal charges stemming from downtown Alton over the past year and a half, reflecting multiple fights, DUIs, incidents of mob action, shootings, and more, many of which reportedly occurred between 1 and 3 a.m. However, he said “flooding” a small section of the city with more police officers is not a sustainable solution to the problem, instead urging city officials to “make the change our law enforcement leaders are requesting,” referring to the elimination of late night liquor licenses.
Ultimately, committee members voted 5-2 to send the resolution to the City Council for approval this Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. Aldermen Velloff and Chris Bohn voted against eliminating late night liquor licenses, while all other aldermen voted in favor.
If the resolution is approved by the City Council on Wednesday, the item will return in the form of an ordinance, which will receive a first and second reading before a final vote at a future City Council meeting. Stay tuned to Riverbender.com for the latest coverage on this and other agenda items.
A full recording of the Nov. 10, 2025 Alton Committee of the Whole meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
