Bloomington council adopts stricter liquor-license rules requiring server training, earlier suspensions

The Bloomington City Council adopted an ordinance on Oct. 27 amending Chapter 13 (Alcoholic Beverage Control) to require that servers complete approved training and to allow earlier license suspensions after repeated compliance-check failures. The ordinance passed 4–3; the council set the ordinance to take effect 14 days after adoption and directed staff to notify affected businesses in advance.

The ordinance requires that 100% of servers employed by licensed establishments complete an approved server-training program within 90 days of hire and maintain certification as a condition of license renewal. It also establishes a new sequence of suspensions in addition to fines: a 1‑day suspension for a second violation, a 5‑day suspension for a third violation, and up to 30 days for a fourth violation, measured on a rolling five‑year basis. Suspensions would be brought to the City Council for consideration.

City staff presented the ordinance as a response to a rising trend in compliance‑check…