[JAN. 12, 2006]
The Lincoln City Council mulled over liquor code
changes proposed by the liquor committee. The amendment was started
several months ago when two establishments would no longer meet
requirements to stay in the classification that they currently hold
and refused to switch classifications.
Businesses selling alcohol must apply annually for license renewals
and may be turned down. "It is a privilege that they are granted
each year," Mayor Beth Davis said.
The difference between a Class B license and a Class C license is
the relative percentages of food and alcohol sales. There are a few
businesses where this could change from one year to the next. This
year two came in with a higher percentage of food sales, determining
that they should switch from B to C, however they refused.
One of the two did later agree to change, Davis said. However,
the liquor commission did not want to play hardball with them, she
said. So, the liquor commission took the recommendation to modify
the liquor code to the city liquor committee.
It also seems there has been some concern that there would not be
enough licenses in each category to change to, but that is not so,
the mayor said. She said that while there is a limited number of
licenses for each class, there are plenty of licenses available for
the few that would change from one class to another from year to
year. This would not pose a problem.
There are currently 15 Class A licenses, 13 for Class B and eight
C licenses in the city of Lincoln.
Class A licenses are for packaged liquor sales.
Class B and C allow alcohol served on the premises.
The proposed change is to add a restaurant license to Class B. If
an establishment has 60 percent or more of its sales in food, rather
than alcohol, then it would fall into Class B, which would include a
restaurant license, and they would be charged $250 more than a Class
C.
Some aldermen felt that to charge more for a license with a
higher percentage of sales of alcohol seemed backward. "Why is
that?" Daron Whitaker asked. "A place that sells more alcohol would
be more of a liability and cost to the city." He cited that there
would be more use of police and other city services.
The mayor explained that selling more food would constitute
needing a restaurant license in addition to the liquor license, and
that’s what they would be getting for their $250 more.
Changing the liquor code has been a daunting task every time it
has come up in the past. Sometimes it has just been dropped after it
was started. When asked if the ordinance could still be modified,
city attorney Bill Bates said, "Every time someone starts talking
about the liquor code it drags on to no end. Everyone has an
opinion." He said it could still be changed but that he would wait
for a consensus from the council on it.
The last change to the liquor ordinance was mid-2002. The Sunday
serving hours were rolled back from beginning at 1 p.m. to start at
11 a.m. Establishments wanted to serve their beer for their sports
crowd or wine for those serving Sunday brunch.
