City Council Meeting Date: March 1, 2022
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Lynette Peterson, City Clerk
Mark Elliott, Chief of Police
Subject:
TITLE
Consider Approval of Liquor License Renewals.
BODY
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council hereby approves liquor license renewals for April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023 as shown on the attached list, subject to the following conditions:
1. Liquor licenses will be issued upon receipt of:
• All required documents
• Payment of all delinquent taxes, assessments, utility bills or other financial claims of the city
• Payment of all remaining liquor license fees
• Successful completion of background investigations
2. Renewal of Outdoor Dining Permits are approved for The Hideaway, Froggy Bottoms, The Grand Event Center and Basil’s Pizza subject to the following conditions:
• Final review and approval of layout and barriers proposed to be used by the Chief of Police
• Compliance with all terms and conditions noted in City Code Section 6-70 - Temporary expansion of licensed premises/outdoor sales and service.
Summary Report:
The City Council is being asked to approve the 2022 liquor license renewals. Current liquor licenses expire on March 31, 2022. The list contains a total of 32 licenses in the following categories:
• 19 - On-Sale Intoxicating licenses
• 5 - On-Sale Wine/3.2 licenses
• 5 - Off-sale 3.2 licenses
• 1 - Cocktail Room license
• 2 - Taproom licenses
Staff has been working on the license renewals since early January. Licensees were provided with copies of applicable state laws, and Chapters 6 and 50 of the City Code. Each liquor license renewal application is being checked for compliance, which covers the provisions of Minnesota State law and City Code. These provisions include:
• Background investigations on licensees
• Review of premises layout
• Review of liquor law violations for the previous five years
• Review of insurance certificates
• Review of delinquent utilities, taxes, assessments or other financial claims
Once licenses are approved by the City Council, they will be sent to the Department of Public Safety Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (DPS-AGE) for review and approval. Licenses will be issued after receipt of all required documents, any delinquent payments and successful completion of background checks.
Compliance checks of license holders were conducted in 2021 by the Northfield Police Department. There were two compliance checks completed on all license holders. During these checks there were a total of four (4) failed checks or violations which are listed below. All of the violations qualify as a first offense. Civil action (fines) by the city for these violations are generally handled after the criminal action is settled by the courts for the server that served or sold the alcohol and was cited for the violation. Those license holders with pending civil action will be dealt with at a separate time from license renewals.
Failed Compliance Checks in 2021
September 2021
Fairfield Inn
El Tequila
Loon Liquors
December 2021
Northfield Golf Club
The City of Northfield policy regarding civil penalties for violation of liquor laws provides for penalties as follows:
|
1st offense |
$250 civil penalty and require verification of retraining |
|
2nd offense within 2 years |
$500 civil penalty and 3 day suspension of license and require verification of retraining |
|
3rd offense within 3 years |
$2,000 civil penalty and 18 day suspension of license |
|
4th offense within 5 years |
Revocation of license |
Alternative Options:
N/A
Financial Impacts:
The City received $30,870 in liquor license renewals in 2022.
The Council decided to waive liquor license fees in 2021 due to Covid and used Federal CARES Funding to cover the lost revenue.
Tentative Timelines:
Liquor licenses need to be approved by the City and forwarded to the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division for review and approval a minimum of 30 days prior to expiration.