Vote on BYOB Measure Delayed

Under proposal, businesses in dry precincts would be barred from letting customers bring in their own booze

A vote on whether businesses in Chicago's dry precincts would be barred from letting customers bring in their own liquor, expected Wednesday, has been delayed.

"It's been deferred already," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. "We're working through with the sponsors and others to find something that reflects the diverse communities and neighborhoods we have in the city of Chicago."

Ald. Deborah Graham (29th) earlier this month introduced her proposal to ban BYOB -- Bring Your Own Bottle -- saying constituents in her ward had reservations about plans for a new banquet hall in the Austin neighborhood.

Several alderman said they didn't like the idea, and the city's law department said the rule couldn't be written to only apply to Graham's ward.

Emanuel said a compromise is in the works.

Under a 79-year-old rule on the books, a precinct can be voted dry if 25 percent of registered voters sign petitions to put the question on the ballot and a majority of voters casting ballots in the next election approve the referendum. Such precincts now cover about 12 percent of the city.

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