Alderman Tackle Liquor Ordinances

In their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday evening (Nov 15), The Louisville Board of Alderman began to deal with the need for new ordinances due to the passage of the liquor referendum in last week’s general election. The Board was briefed by City Attorney Taylor Tucker and by Mayor Hill concerning the regulation of liquor sales. It was noted that the sale and regulation of liquor was controlled at the state level but the city had some control over location, advertising and on-premises sales in restaurants.
Mayor Hill suggested that to limit confusion and improve consistency in enforcement, any new ordinances approved should parallel as closely as possible the existing beer and light wine ordinances in place. As an example of the potential inconsistencies, current local beer laws require a distance of 500 feet from churches, schools, funeral homes & daycares while state regulations for liquor only require 400 feet. There was general agreement among the Board to draft a set of ordinances that follow the existing beer ordinance as closely as possible. The existing ordinance restricts outside advertising , requires a minimum distance of 500 feet from certain properties and requires restaurants to have food sales of at least 75% of gross revenue. The Board hopes to have a draft of a new liquor ordinance available by their next meeting in December.
Mayor Hill noted that several licenses had already been applied for at the state level and that any ordinance needs to be in place soon. Without an ordinance in place, permittees could be “grandfathered in” under existing state regulations and not subject to the stricter regulations set by the City. It should be noted that any ordinance approved will not take effect until 30 days after passage.
In other business:
Approved a revised Memorandum of Understanding with the Ms. Transportation Commission concerning litter pickup.
Approved small payments for the Airport Project.
Signed an agreement to make improvements to the Polo building under a Rural Impact Grant.
Made a payment of $47295 for annual liability coverage.
Received a notice of appointment of William L. Smith for a 5 year term to the Housing Board.
Approved the hiring of Willie Thames as a full time city employee of the street department.
Approved various dues and training sessions. Scheduled hearings on January 3rd for several unclean properties including; 304 N. Rogers Ave., 210 Smith Circle and 110 & 112 Armstrong St.
Cancelled the Board’s December 20th meeting due to the Christmas Holidays unless circumstances require it.

W. McCully