Alderman Glenn Shelton, chairman of the ordinance committee, which was in charge of drafting the new code, told the license holders at the beginning of the meeting, "What you say will mean a great deal to us." After the license holders left, the consensus among council members was that at least some of the license holders’ suggestions would probably be adopted.

The biggest objection was the 20 percent increase in license fees. Nora Edwards, who holds the license for the OK Tavern, said, "I have to buy three liquor licenses, three food server licenses, and tax stamps for each juke box and video game. I’m licensed out."

Bill Haak of the Moose Lodge noted that his organization contributes over $8,000 each year to help children and teens, and said increasing club license fees would hurt service organizations who help needy citizens.

Jason Steffens of Eckerts Inc. and Eckerts Fine Dining said license holders should have more freedom to operate as they wished, suggesting the city have multi-use licenses instead of "a myriad of different licenses." This would help establishments bring in new business and would help the local economy, he said. "Once you make the businesses pick up two or three licenses you are hurting the businesses."

Judy McCumber of the Fifth Street Food Mart told the council she did not think it fair that her license to sell package liquor should be more expensive than a license to sell liquor in a tavern. The proposed fee for package liquor (Class A) is $1,500 per year, while the new licenses for taverns (Class B and Class C) would be $1,000 and $1,250 per year under the new code. Class B would permit sale of liquor on the premises only, while Class C would permit sales both for retail and for consumption on the premises.

The Class B and C licenses are new categories, according to Jonathan Wright, city attorney. Neither license ties the sale of liquor to any kind of food sales, although either license might be held by a restaurant that also wants to have a bar.

The city will continue to offer a license specifically for restaurants, Class E, at a yearly cost of $750. This license, Wright explained, is quite restrictive, and allows the sale of liquor only in conjunction with food service and does not permit drinking at the bar.

In response to complaints about the higher fees, Shelton pointed out that liquor license fees have not been raised since 1989, and that the 20 percent increase amounts to less than 2 percent a year.

Susan Fuhrer, license holder of the Blue Dog Inn, said that she believed her fee increase was fair, but she thought some of the others were out of line, in particular the retail sales fee.

Haji Patel asked if the council was setting the license fees higher because other nearby communities have higher fees. Wright said that was not the case and the city had not looked at fees in the surrounding area.

Mayor Ritter told the group that the fees, which total $44,750 per year, go into the city’s general fund and help pay for city services. With the tax cap voted in by Logan County residents several years ago, the city will see a decrease of $41,000 in taxes to pay for services such as streets, sewers and sidewalks.

Another strong objection was the limited number of Class C licenses, which would allow both retail sales and sales of liquor for consumption on the premises. The Class B and C licenses are replacements for the former tavern licenses, of which there were 12. The new code would allow 10 Class B and 10 Class C licenses.

Steffens and several others said that 10 Class C licenses were not enough and would force some present license holders out of business. Alderman Patrick Madigan said that was definitely not the council’s intention and that they would accommodate all present liquor license holders who want a Class C license. He indicated the council would probably increase the number of these licenses.

Still another objection was the time set for Sunday liquor sales — 1 p.m. to midnight. Patel said customers who come to his sports bar to watch football or racing come earlier than 1 p.m. and asked the council to consider allowing sales to begin at noon or even 11 a.m. Steffens pointed out that 1 p.m. is also too late for restaurants who want to serve a champagne brunch on Sundays. Patel also asked the council to consider allowing later hours, such as 3 a.m., on Friday and Saturday nights. He said other communities in the area have closing times as late as 4 a.m.

The provision allowing 18-year-olds to sell and serve liquor if supervised by someone 21 or older got mixed reviews. Some license holders objected, while others said it is hard to get help and they need to hire people under 21.

The proposed new code provides for 13 license categories, compared to six in the present code. Categories include a license for motels and hotels that want to include liquor in their room service ($750), a license for an establishment that wants to sell bottled wine as part of a gift basket ($350), licenses for winemakers ($750) and microbreweries ($650), club licenses ($425), and temporary licenses for not-for-profit organizations ($20 a day) and for-profit organizations ($40 per day).

"I think we accomplished what we wanted to. We got some good input," Alderman William Melton told the ordinance committee. Committee members agreed to rethink the suggestions and meet again after the regular City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 18. When the proposed changes are finalized, liquor license holders will be invited to another public meeting. Council members on the ordinance and zoning committee are Shelton, Madigan, Melton, Steve Fuhrer and Michael Montcalm.

"One of the main things we are hoping to do at the reception is to let people know we are starting a volunteer staffing program," Schachtsiek told the Lincoln Daily News. "We are seeking staffers and interpreters who will give time and allow us to keep the courthouse open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. We will take names and telephone numbers of interested people at the reception. After the first of the year, we will set up training dates for volunteers. Ideally, volunteers will give only one afternoon a month to the courthouse."

Shirley Bartelmay and Thressia Usherwood of the Lincoln Tourist Bureau are assisting Schachtsiek with the volunteer program. A similar volunteer program keeps the Mount Pulaski Courthouse open.

The renovation project, overseen by the Illinois Capital Development Board, included the replacement of all exterior siding, doors, windows, roofing material and finishes. Interior work included plastering, painting, asbestos removal and remodeling of the site’s two fireplaces. The building also got new mechanical, electrical and security systems, new plumbing, a new brick sidewalk, and a new storage shed. Schachtsiek said this is the first major update the building has had since its construction in 1953.

He noted that, along with bringing wiring, heating and plumbing up to current standards and the repair of a collapsed sewer line, the renovation also corrected some inaccuracies in the design of the building, which is a replica of the original. The original courthouse was purchased by Henry Ford in 1929 and is part of the historic Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich.

The changes in design include 6-over-6 window panes instead of the former 4-over-4, removal of shutters, replacement of the painted siding with walnut siding and changes in the two fireplaces inside the building to make them historically accurate.

"We are very pleased with the results," Schachtsiek said. "We were happy to have both a contractor and an architect who were sensitive to working with historic structures." The contractor, RJS Construction of Peoria, and the architect, Anne McGuire and Associates of Evanston, both have had experience with restoration work

The exhibits in the building, which explain the operation of the Eighth Judicial circuit and the people who traveled it, including Abraham Lincoln, and the historic courtroom and clerk’s office on the second floor, have not been changed.

Schachtsiek believes Postville is an important site on the Looking for Lincoln project because it shows how Lincoln made a living when he was practicing law. "About one-half his time he spent traveling the Eighth Judicial Circuit. There are only three places where you can learn about his career on the circuit — Postville, Mount Pulaski and Metamora courthouses," he said.

Schachtsiek says he plans to have special events at the Postville Courthouse in the spring and during the Art and Balloon Fest in August.

The major points of disagreement which required the binding arbitration, according to Detective John Bunner, negotiator for the union, were residency requirements and insurance reimbursement. The previous contract permitted police officers to live in the 732 or 735 telephone exchange area. This time the union asked for, and finally got, permission for officers to live within a 10-mile radius of the city, which Bunner said was about equivalent to living in the 732 or 735 phone area.

Bunner noted that in 1986, the city passed an ordinance requiring all employees to live within the city limits. However, several state court cases have ruled this requirement unconstitutional, he said.

The other stumbling block was the city’s request that union employees pay 5 percent of their health insurance premiums. Bunner said the union did not want to pay any of the cost of their insurance because the city does not share the cost of insurance for an employee’s dependents. The city does offer dependent coverage but at full cost to the employee.

Contract negotiations have been ongoing since May 1 of 1999 and required a mediator to resolve. Negotiating for the city were City Attorney Jonathan Wright, Mayor Joan C. Ritter and Alderman Stephen Mesner, who was head of the finance committee when negotiations began. The union’s negotiators, along with Bunner, were Sgt. Mike Gerits, Officer Chris Carmichael and FOP representative Ted Street.

The new contract also calls for an increase in base wages for its three-year duration, with an increase of 4.2 percent the first year, 4.0 percent the second year and 3.9 percent the third year, retroactive to May 1, 1999, when the old contract expired. The city’s payroll office will now have to calculate the amount of back pay owed to the union members and reimburse them.

Asked how soon they would receive their back pay, City Clerk Juanita Josserand answered, "As soon as we get it figured out." She said the city will compare figures with the Police Department to come up with the proper totals.

Other clauses in the new contract require overtime to be counted as more than 80 hours in a 14-day period rather than 160 hours in 28 days and that officers may undergo random drug testing once per year.

Although the council agreed unanimously to approve the police union contract, Mayor Ritter had to cast a tie vote to break a deadlock on changes in policy for city employees who are non-union employees, in particular when these employees move from union employees to management.

One change in wording was needed because the old policy referred only to work days, while Fire Department employees work 24-hour shifts, not days. Other changes deal with the transfer of accrued time, limiting the carry-over of sick time to six days and vacation time to one year. Alderman Michael Montcalm said he would vote no on the changes because he did not want to "take away benefit time from those who had expectations of receiving it."

Alderman William Melton said he, too, would vote no. "I can’t vote for something I’m arguing against at my own place of employment," he told the council. No votes also came from Aldermen George Mitchell and Benny Huskins.

The board also approved putting up new stop signs along State Street, as recommended by Police Chief Richard Ludolph. State and Eighth will become a four-way stop, and State will become a through street from Eighth to12th streets. At Ninth Street there will be stop signs both ways. At 10th Street there will be a stop sign for westbound traffic, and at Short Eighth, Short 11th and 12th Streets stop signs for eastbound traffic.

The council also approved parking restrictions on some of the recently renovated city streets, because the newly installed curbs and gutters have made the streets narrower. Parking will be prohibited on the west side of Gavin from West Kickapoo to North Street, on the north side of North Street from Gavin to College, on both sides of Jackson from Fifth to Sixth Street, on both sides of State north of the alley between Sixth and Seventh Street and on State from Fifth to Sixth Street, on both sides of Wichita east of the alley to Kankakee, and on the east side of the 500 block of Walnut Street from Fourth to the alley. These restrictions all go into effect as of Dec. 4.

A public hearing on the new liquor ordinance, to which all liquor license holders have been invited, is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m., and a public hearing on the 2000-2001 tax levy is set for Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m.