Oak Park council rejects motions to set a March 29 payment deadline and to recommend nonrenewal of Oak Park Social’s liquor license

The Oak Park City Council debated whether to recommend nonrenewal of the Class C liquor license held by Oak Park Social LLC during a public hearing and ultimately rejected both a council-set payment deadline and a separate recommendation to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

The hearing focused on the city’s ordinance requiring businesses to be current on property taxes and city utility bills as a condition of local liquor-license renewal. The city attorney noted the council’s recommendation must reach the Michigan Liquor Control Commission by March 31, 2026, a statutory deadline the city cannot extend. The city manager told the council staff would notify the commission if payments were received after submission.

The owner of Oak Park Social, speaking at the hearing, criticized the local ordinance as an extra layer beyond state licensing and urged leniency. “We invested in a whole new restaurant for you guys in the city and spent close to $350,000 in your city,” the owner said, and argued that short-term cash-flow decisions had led to delayed payments. He said he had been in discussions with city staff and asked for additional time to pay outstanding bills.

Council members pressed for specifics. Council member Sean Whitehead noted the administration’s record-keeping showed outstanding utility charges of about $4,795 and warned the owner the city enforces its ordinance. Mayor Pro Tem Julie Edgar said she did not want to see a local business lose its license but emphasized that the council must treat all licensees the same.

The council first considered a motion to give Oak Park Social until March 29 to bring all outstanding bills current and to submit a resolution to the commission on March 30 if the business remained delinquent. That motion failed on a roll-call vote (1 yes, 4 no).

Council then considered a motion to send a formal recommendation of nonrenewal to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. On the roll call for that motion council recorded two yes votes and three no votes; the motion failed, meaning the council did not submit a recommendation to the state commission at that time.

Because council took no final local action to revoke or formally recommend nonrenewal, Oak Park Social’s state license remains in effect. City officials said the Liquor Control Commission is the ultimate licensing authority and that council staff would attempt to withdraw or update any recommendation if payments were made before the commission acted.

What’s next: Council members and staff said they would continue to monitor payments and that the commission, if contacted by the city with a recommendation, would make the ultimate decision. The owner said he intended to work with the administration to resolve the outstanding balances.