Meeting Preview: Council to Discuss Next Steps on Liquor Licenses and More

Township council has a busy agenda tonight (Monday). Below is a short list previewing some of the weightier subjects up for discussion. 

• After two weeks on the job, will officially be sworn in.

• Carew will bring council up to speed on the steps it has to take following the last week. He said there are certain "short-term administrative steps the township needs to make" to lay the foundation for administering licenses. Before it can take those steps however, the county must certify the results of the election, which should be done by Friday, according to the county clerk's office. Once that's done, and the certification is approved by the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), Carew said council will pass an ordinance to "set up the parameters" for issuing liquor licenses, covering everything from the establishment of a local ABC board (if council elects to create one) to how much licenses would be sold for. At that point, "(the state) ABC comments on it, reviews it, and ultimately approves it," said Carew. "Then council can get down to the business of selling liquor licenses."

• Council will vote on whether to appropriate an additional $1.5 million in bonds for preliminary expenses (planning, engineering, etc.) associated with the municipal complex project. Last month, presented by Ragan Design Group to combine the library, administrative offices and municipal court into one building, with the police department in a separate building and improvements to the recreation center. The cost of the project is estimated at around $16 million currently.

• Carew said he will also present council with his thoughts as it relates to proposed athletic fields/parks improvements. He indicated the discussion, while it will address the , will also be more broad. 

The council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at .