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Highland Park council removes citizenship requirement for liquor licenses to conform with state law
Summary
The council unanimously approved an ordinance amending Section 119.32 of the Highland Park code to eliminate a citizenship requirement for liquor licenses, aligning local code with state law changes cited from 2019; councilmembers asked staff to include periodic code-review updates in the 2026 work plan.
The Highland Park City Council voted unanimously to amend the municipal code by removing a citizenship requirement for liquor licenses so the local ordinance conforms with Illinois state law. The ordinance amends Section 119.32 of the Highland Park Code of 1968 as amended.
Councilmember Lederer said she supports the change but asked why the amendment was being brought now and whether other municipalities had taken similar actions. Corporation counsel replied staff had flagged the issue previously, that many towns still retain older language in their codes, and that the city had been cautious not to issue or deny licenses under the obsolete provision. Corporation counsel said staff surveyed other towns and planned to include code review as part of the 2026 work plan.
Councilmembers said they welcomed an ongoing, methodical review of the municipal code to remove outdated provisions. After discussion, the council approved the ordinance by roll call (7 ayes, no nays).
The amendment is procedural in nature and was presented as part of the consent agenda; staff indicated ongoing code updates and future work-plan reviews would bring more comprehensive revisions for council review.
