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Three compliance-check failures noted; county to hold hearing on one license renewal
Summary
The Auditor’s Office reported three alcohol compliance-check failures among 62 inspected licenses; only Red Rock Bar & Grill is county-licensed and will face a public hearing when it applies for renewal in the fall. The commission also approved three malt-beverage/SD farm-wine license renewals that passed checks.
Kim Christians of the Auditor’s Office told commissioners on May 20 that the county’s recent compliance checks covered 62 liquor and malt-beverage licenses and identified three failures; only Red Rock Bar and Grill is licensed through Minnehaha County and will face a public hearing at renewal.
Christians said the sheriff’s office completed the checks and "there were a total of 3 licenses that failed the compliance check. Out of the 3, that failed, only 1 of them, Red Rock Bar and Grill, is currently licensed by Minnehaha County." She said the county will be required to hold a public hearing upon receipt of the renewal application this fall — usually in November — and that the county had sent the licensee written notice.
Captain Catherine Phillips of the sheriff’s investigations division described enforcement practice and trends. She said compliance-check failures have declined from earlier years when failures were more common, noting that "last year, in November, we had 2. Previous years, we've had 7 or 8." Phillips said the sheriff’s office typically uses volunteers or trainees over 18 (but under 21) who present IDs; if an outlet sells, detectives enter and issue a citation to the clerk and the case proceeds to court.
Christians told the commission that county-licensed establishments checked numbered 13 and 12 of those passed this round. Commissioners asked whether municipalities (including Sioux Falls) are included; Captain Phillips said city police handle checks inside Sioux Falls city limits, while the sheriff’s office covers outlying municipalities such as Brandon, Hartford, Crooks and Valley Springs and coordinates hearings with those local jurisdictions.
On the related agenda item, the commission approved three 2025–26 malt-beverage and South Dakota farm-wine license renewals; Christians said each application and fee were in order and the businesses had passed the latest compliance checks.
No immediate license revocations were imposed at the May 20 meeting; Red Rock Bar and Grill will face a renewal-time public hearing in the fall as required by the county process.
