Restaurants in Homewood will be allowed to serve food and liquor outdoors through the spring after the village board approved an extension Tuesday.

The original ordinance was passed in May and was set to expire on Nov. 1. The extension was the only change approved by the board.

Some restaurants have been allowed to create or extend existing outdoor seating areas with tables a minimum of six feet apart. Awnings and top coverings are permitted but no walls or enclosures.

Outdoor bars are prohibited and open liquor containers aren’t allowed beyond outdoor seating areas. Parties are limited to 10 or fewer and servers and staff are required to follow Center for Disease Control and Illinois Department of Public Health regulations, including wearing personal protective equipment.

The board also approved a new tax increment financing district near the former Bogart’s Charhouse restaurant on Dixie Highway. 

A public hearing was held in September to discuss the decision. Bogart’s closed in 2012 and the building was condemned in 2018. The village has had difficulty finding a new owner. The TIF district aims to help incentivize business on that property and in the surrounding area. 

Two new police vehicle purchases were also approved. A 2020 Ford Expedition XL will replace a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe that isn’t big enough to house the necessary equipment. Homewood will buy that vehicle through the Suburban Purchasing Collective for $55,325 from Currie Motor Commercial Center in Frankfort.

A 2021 Ford Utility Police Interceptor will replace a patrol vehicle. The car will be purchased through the same collective for $59,000 from Kunes Country Ford in Antioch. 

Karen Gallagher was appointed to a 5-year term on the beautification committee and Barbara Ferrari was reappointed to the storm water resources committee for three years.