An Ottawa commissioner Tuesday suggested more should be done to loosen COVID-19 measures on restaurants.

Ottawa Commissioner Wayne Eichelkraut requested Mayor Dan Aussem write a letter to Gov. JB Pritzker to inquire about allowing restaurants to open indoor dining at 25% capacity with 10 p.m. closing times, because businesses aren’t getting any money at all, he said.

"I still feel like we should be following the rules, but if we can do something here, we should," Eichelkraut said. "Places are going to be closing faster than we can dream of. I know we're getting grants but I know when you're getting bills for $6,000 per month, a $12,000 grant doesn't do much when you've been closed since April."

Aussem agreed and said the problem has been enforcement.

"I don't disagree with you," Aussem said. "It is frustrating. I talk to a lot of the business owners, too. I certainly don't have a problem reaching out to the governor's office. I'm not sure how well received it'll be. "

Additionally, Ottawa commissioners approved a tax levy Tuesday requesting $7.387 million, which is $602,321 more funds than last year. The rate, however, is expected to go down on the city's portion of the tax bill, officials project.

City Treasurer Don Harris told the Times on Dec. 2 a homeowner with a home valued at $100,000 would pay $6.82 less in taxes than they did last year. The EAV of Ottawa homes increased by 3.3% in 2020.

Aussem also appointed Tricia Flavel to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Ken Brown to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners.