Title
Ordinance No. 15-78 amending Part 1 (General Provisions), Part 2 (License Required), Part 3 (Occupation Tax on Liquors), Part 5 (Issuance of Licenses), Part 6 (Suspension and Revocation of Licenses) and Part 7 (General Liquor Offenses) of Article 5 (Alcohol Beverages) of Chapter 2 (Business Licensing, Liquor Regulation and Taxation) of the Code of the City of Colorado Springs 2001, as amended
Body
From:
Sarah Johnson, City Clerk
Summary:
Request to increase days of service and modify certain reporting requirements for Tastings Permits held by Retail Liquor Store and Liquor Licensed Drugstore licensees, and additional general housekeeping cleanup of the City Liquor Code.
Previous Council Action:
Tastings provisions of the State Liquor Code were adopted by City Council with additional local restrictions by amending the City Liquor Code in 2008 (Ord. 08-145). Last comprehensive revisions to the Liquor Code were approved by City Council in 2001 (Ord. 01-42), with revisions to Sections 103 and 712 regarding labeling and open containers in 2002 (Ord. 02-215), and Section 804 regarding employment of minors in 2004 (Ord. 04-195).
Background:
A request was made by an industry licensee to increase the number of allowed days for a licensee to conduct tastings under a Tastings Permit from the existing City restriction of 52 days to the 104 days maximum allowed in C.R.S. § 12-47-301(10)(C)(XI). After evaluating that request and upon further review of the Tastings Section 205, it appears that removing certain specific paragraphs would “reset” most of the requirements to the minimum standards identified in the State Liquor Code, without compromising local control over tastings. Additionally, as there has been no general cleanup of the City Liquor Code since 2001, housekeeping changes are also included to identify and clarify certain provisions and also eliminate conflicting or archaic language.
The proposed ordinance is generally housekeeping in nature, to clarify intent, and to also modify the City’s additional reporting requirements for Tastings Permits to the baseline requirements in the State Liquor Code.
Financial Implications:
N/A
Board/Commission Recommendation:
At its August 21, 2015 meeting, the Liquor and Beer Licensing Board voted unanimously to recommend the changes to City Council.
Stakeholder Process:
A publicly noticed meeting was held on August 21, 2015, to review and discuss the proposed changes with the Liquor and Beer Licensing Board. Retail Liquor Store licensees holding Tasting Permits were surveyed on the proposed Tastings changes, with no objections noted. There are currently no Liquor Licensed Drugstore licensees in the City.
Alternatives:
N/A
Recommended Action
Proposed Motion:
Approve the Ordinance.
Ordinance Language
Increase days of service and modify certain reporting requirements for Tastings Permits held by Retail Liquor Store and Liquor Licensed Drugstore licensees, and additional general housekeeping cleanup of the City Liquor Code.