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Council upholds 10-day suspension of Super Bottle’s alcohol license after two underage sales
Summary
The Common Council affirmed a Public Safety Committee decision to suspend alcohol sales at Super Bottle LLC for 10 days following two compliance-check sales to minors within one year. The owner appealed; council rejected reconsideration and approved the committee recommendation unanimously.
The West Allis Common Council on Feb. 11 upheld a Public Safety Committee decision to suspend alcohol sales at Super Bottle LLC for 10 days after two compliance-check sales to underage buyers occurred within the same year.
Attorney Vincent Bobbitt, representing Super Bottle LLC, asked the council to reconsider the committee’s penalty and described steps the business had taken since the citations, including installing an ID-check device and instituting a store policy that requires presentation of a physical identification document. “They ID everybody,” Bobbitt told the council, and he asked the council to reduce the suspension to a warning or a smaller penalty.
Public Safety Committee Chair Alderman Grisham said the committee had balanced the business’s remediation steps against the risk created by two violations. Grisham noted the municipal code and state rules allow a range of suspensions; the committee recommended a 10-day suspension — the minimum in the statutory range — after concluding the second sale showed the first sanction had not prevented a repeat violation. Alderman Grisham said the city had the option of a heavier penalty and that the committee offered a measured sanction because the business accepted responsibility and instituted changes.
The transcript records compliance-check dates as July 30, 2024 and Nov. 11, 2024, within a single licensing year; the owner paid the fines for the citations, according to the attorney’s remarks. The council reopened the item at the owner’s request so the attorney could present argument; after discussion the council refused reconsideration and adopted the committee’s recommendation.
Votes and outcome: The council voted to adopt the Public Safety Committee recommendation to impose a 10-day suspension; the roll call recorded 10 votes in favor, 0 opposed.
Ending: The suspension applies to alcohol sales only; the business may continue non-alcohol retail operations during the suspension period. The council noted that any future violation would allow stiffer penalties under city policy.
