By Steven Stilt
The Wamac City Council, at its meeting Monday evening, voted to reduce the number of liquor licenses in the city following a fire that caused extensive damage to McGuire’s Grill and Bar in March.
City Clerk Marian Suhl reported that the license held by McGuire’s is set to lapse soon, and said another entity could apply for and obtain that license if the city were to keep it open. With that in mind, Mayor Jackie “Butch” Mathus says, the city chose instead to reduce the number of licenses.
[Butch Mathus audio] “Marian, our city clerk, she did have a valid point about it, that if somebody would try to apply for it, being an open license, and we don’t want just anybody to come in and try to take an open license, so we’re going to discontinue that license. With the existing business, hopefully they do rebuild and hopefully later this year we can issue them another liquor license and re-establish an existing business.” According to city officials, the owners of McGuire’s hope to rebuild the establishment by December.
In other action, the council approved an increase in monthly rates for trash customers from $13.50 to $16 beginning in August, corresponding with the terms of a contract extension with Sunrise Sanitation approved by the council in May. The cost of a second bin will also be increasing as of August, from $5 to $8.
Suhl announced that the new automated clearing house payment system for water bills should be available to the public by next month. The system will allow customers to have payments automatically deducted from their checking or savings account each month. Officials issued a reminder about the upcoming Family Fun Day at Wamac City Park on June 14th. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day and will feature games, train rides, bounce houses, raffles and other activities, with proceeds going toward new equipment for the Wamac Police Department.
Mathus also offered a reminder that June 18th will be community cleanup day, and encouraged residents to tidy up their properties.
