The Chamber of the Bureau Board postponed a current-violation hearing after the designated hearing officer did not appear at the meeting. Staff told the board the matter will be rescheduled for May 1, when the hearing officer is expected to appear; attendees were to receive notice of the new date.

Board members discussed the mechanics of administering and scheduling administrative hearings. Several members suggested changing the meeting order so the hearing officer hears current violations before the board’s regular business, allowing the board to vote on the hearing officer’s recommendation the same day. One member suggested holding hearings on the second meeting of the month; another proposed listing hearing-officer items as a separate agenda entry after adjournment.

Members also raised concerns about enforcement after the board issues suspension or closure orders. A representative of the city police (CPD) described on-the-ground monitoring as largely “on the honor system,” saying officers pass notices to patrol supervisors but that staffing changes have complicated follow-up. The CPD representative said the department has to coordinate through multiple supervisors and that the sergeant position responsible for bar checks is currently assigned to traffic; the department has posted a vacancy for a sergeant and expected interviews in the coming weeks.

Board members said the current practice can require business owners to appear twice — once for the hearing officer and again when the board votes. “There’s no reason for them to be here today unless we knew for sure the hearing officer was going to be here,” one board member said, describing the burden on owners who must make multiple trips.

Staff and board members asked the department to improve coordination so hearings and board votes can occur on the same day when feasible, and to clarify how enforcement of suspensions or temporary closures will be monitored and reported back to the board. No change to the code or enforcement authority was adopted at the meeting; the discussion produced a plan to return with administrative process recommendations and to reschedule the missed hearing.

The meeting record shows the board is considering procedural changes — including agenda order and a dedicated hearing-officer line item — and staff acknowledged the need to work with legal scheduling, administrative staff and the independent hearing officer to reduce duplicative appearances by business owners.