City Council Meeting Date: March 2, 2021
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, 2021 - March 31, 2022 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 (dependent upon Council consideration of waiving fees for 2021)
• Successful completion of background investigations
2. Renewal of Outdoor Dining Permits are approved for The Hideaway 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.
There may be additional liquor license renewals next meeting as we are still in the process of completing the application review process.
Summary Report:
The City Council is being asked to approve the 2021 liquor license renewals. Current liquor licenses expire on March 31, 2021. The list contains a total of 32 licenses in the following categories:
• 18 - On-Sale Intoxicating licenses
• 6 - 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 March 4, 2020 by the Northfield Police Department. A second compliance check in 2020 was not conducted due to COVID concerns and shutdowns of bars and restaurants.
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 |
Staff will be working with the City Attorney to review possible ordinance changes related to the process for assessing civil penalties to try and shorten the time between the violation and the assessment of the penalties. In addition, staff will be reviewing the penalty policy and amounts.
There may be additional liquor license renewals next meeting as we are still in the process of completing the application review process.
Alternative Options:
N/A
Financial Impacts:
The City may not receive fees for liquor license renewals in 2021 if the Council decides to waive the liquor license fees for 2021.
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.