Happy hour in DeKalb remains prohibited, but the city council decided to make a few additions to the municipal code by restricting the use of alcoholic drinks as prizes for games or contests.

The council unanimously passed the amendments to the happy hour prohibition laws.

“This prohibits games where you win drinks. You can’t have games that revolve around alcohol or award alcohol,” City Attorney Margo Ely said at Monday’s meeting at the DeKalb Municipal Building.

When the ordinance received its second reading, 6th Ward Ald. Dave Baker asked, “If a bar owner has a popular game, can he replace the free drink, with, say, a certificate to enter the bar free on a different day, to keep the popular game?”

Mayor Greg Sparrow responded, “Yeah, they can give away a free entry certificate or burger or whatever, but they can’t give away booze.”

State law already forbids awarding alcoholic drinks as prizes, but City Clerk Donna Johnson discovered that the Municipal Code of the City of DeKalb did not explicitly restrict such use of alcohol. Ely characterized this as a “typo,” or an oversight, which the amendment was designed to correct.

The Illinois State Liquor Control Commission has oversight of state alcohol law enforcement, but the DeKalb Liquor Commissioner, Mayor Greg Sparrow, can enforce state as well as municipal law.

Although this portion of the municipal code perfectly mimics the state code, 1st Ward Ald. Andy Small said he believes the municipal code in its totality has nuances that are unique to DeKalb.