BERWYN, Ill. — The Berwyn Licensing and Taxation Committee on Sept. 30 voted to send proposed changes to the city's video-gaming regulations to full council review after more than two hours of public comment in which business owners warned fee increases and waiting periods would force closures and residents urged stronger oversight.

Alderman Joshua Bowman, chair of the Licensing and Taxation Committee, described the package as an effort to balance revenue and community welfare and said the proposal does not eliminate gaming in Berwyn: "Gaming stays in Berwyn with this proposal. What we need to do is intentionally assess both the economic benefits and the potential social impacts of gaming operations within our community," Bowman told the committee.

The draft ordinance package (changes are organized in chapter 879b) would: (1) shift formal council authority over video-gaming license decisions so the Liquor Commissioner would recommend and city council would vote; (2) create a tiered license-fee schedule tied to net terminal income so higher-earning locations pay more; (3) establish a two-year moratorium on new video-gaming licenses while an ad hoc committee studies impacts; (4) channel licensing revenue into a dedicated community investment fund for items such as public-health and youth programs; and (5) add annual financial reporting and new distance and concentration rules for new licenses. The committee voted to recommend sections 879b.01 through 879b.28 for full council review; the motion carried.

Business owners who testified said the proposals would hit small operators hardest and questioned the math behind the revenue estimates. Eddie Wojcowski, who identified himself as a long-time local bar operator, warned that proposed tier changes could be "over 10% of our revenues" for some operators and argued the measures could push longtime businesses out of Berwyn. "If anything, our fees should go down, not up," Wojcowski said during public comment.

Several other operators made similar points. Nick Casatino, who said he owns multiple Berwyn businesses, cited city receipts and warned that licensing and fee increases would reduce employment and sales-tax receipts: "Quit beating on the small business," he said. Randy Wagner, who said his family has run Wagner's Lounge for decades, urged caution: "You don't need to be hitting the small businesses with ridiculous tax increases and license fees. We're just trying to struggle to get by and keep the community going," he said.

Other speakers and committee members emphasized neighborhood impacts and the city's high concentration of gaming locations. Marcus Soloway said the businesses "put a stain on this town" and urged ballot action to stop future gaming. Resident Tanya Reyes asked aldermen to seek a balanced commercial mix and to include parks and youth programming in any plan.

Bowman framed the changes as responding to a pattern of high concentration in key commercial corridors and a lack of council oversight in the current licensing process. Among the specific regulatory changes Bowman summarized to the committee were: raising minimum distances from schools, parks, churches and treatment centers (language as drafted contemplated distances up to 1,000 feet, a point some aldermen suggested reducing to approximately 500 feet), explicit definitions to distinguish "video-gaming cafes" from restaurants, and a requirement that licensing revenue be placed into a dedicated fund for community programs.

The draft also includes a proposed prohibition or limits on political contributions from gaming entities; several committee members raised legal concerns about an outright ban and suggested the language needs more work to avoid First Amendment or preemption challenges. One committee member asked the city attorney and legal staff to review the contribution provisions before any council vote.

Committee discussion recorded a range of implementation questions: how annual reporting would be collected and audited, how the Liquor Commissioner and council would share enforcement and suspension authority, and whether existing businesses would be grandfathered (the draft explicitly preserved existing, lawfully issued licenses from being revoked by the new distance rules). Bowman said the moratorium language allows council to shorten or extend the pause by resolution if warranted.

Formal actions recorded in the meeting minutes included a motion to table some definition language until the meeting's end and, later, a motion that sections 879b.01'879b.28 be recommended for full council review. The motion to forward the package carried; the committee adjourned shortly thereafter.

What remains unsettled: the final fee schedule and tier thresholds; the precise distance/concentration metric (committee members discussed 100, 500 and 1,000-foot options); the scope and structure of the proposed community fund; the exact reporting and enforcement workflow (who audits submitted NTI reports and how); and the campaign contribution language, which will require legal review. Committee members and staff said they will refine the ordinance language and seek additional input from city legal counsel, economic-development stakeholders and business groups before formal council consideration.

The committee hearing drew dozens of residents and business owners and multiple extended exchanges between the chair, aldermen and public commenters. The matter will next be considered by the full council in the committee-of-the-whole process for further review and amendment before any change becomes law.