Village grants operator license to applicant who disclosed expunged conviction; one abstention recorded

Quinn Hildebrandt appeared before the Village Board on July 10 to address questions arising from his operator-license application. Board members had identified a discrepancy between Hildebrandt’s form responses and the board’s background check results relating to a past conviction.

Hildebrandt told the board that a 2019 conviction for selling/manufacturing marijuana had been expunged and that he did not believe it would appear on public databases. “I was 19 at the time. So I made dumb, young mistake... I’m 26 now. So I’m just trying to move on from all that,” Hildebrandt said, explaining his application responses and the expungement.

Board members discussed whether applicants should answer “yes” or “no” on conviction questions when records have been expunged. One board member noted the application’s wording is a simple yes-or-no about conviction history and that, technically, an expunged conviction may still count as a conviction for application purposes; another advised Hildebrandt to consult his lawyer for legal advice. The board’s recorded discussion emphasized the municipality’s practice of second chances, referenced past course, and noted no policy automatically prevents applicants with historical convictions from receiving licenses.

After discussion, a motion to approve Hildebrandt’s operator license passed; the transcript records “aye” votes and one abstention. The clerk recorded the count as 4 yes, 0 no, 1 abstain. The transcript does not show any formal conditions attached to the approval.

Discussion vs. decision: The meeting included a discussion about application disclosure and expunged records (discussion) and a formal board vote to grant the operator license (decision).