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Scottsbluff council recommends two liquor licenses after board conditions and training assurances
Summary
The council voted to recommend a Class D liquor license for Waheguru g Scottsbluff LLC (naming Courtney Michael Robinson as manager) and a Class A license for Joe Hessler Inc. dba Auto Plaza (naming Lawrence Hessler manager), after hearing applicants— security plans and liquor-board stipulations; the liquor-board had recommended contingent approval for one applicant because of past underage sales reported before the ownership change.
The Scottsbluff City Council on Nov. 20 voted to forward positive recommendations to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission for two liquor-license applications after hearing applicant testimony, investigator reports and liquor-board conditions.
For the Class D license at 323 East Overland, the council recommended approval for Waheguru g Scottsbluff LLC and named Courtney Michael Robinson as the designated manager. Applicant representatives described a written ID-checking practice, employee training and remote camera monitoring. Applicant Harpreet told the council, “We check everybody's ID who comes in to buy,” and said staff completed training and would card all patrons.
Liquor-board investigator Chris Brass told the council that an earlier series of complaints recorded prior to the sale involved high-school students buying alcohol; the investigators determined that those incidents occurred before the ownership transfer but that some of the same staff were employed then. Brass said the employee believed to be responsible is no longer employed. The liquor-license investigatory board recommended approval contingent on the applicant adopting a clear written carding policy and completing other stipulated corrective steps.
Council members discussed the time constraint for returning a recommendation and added an amendment to the motion requiring submission of a written carding policy that follows the board—s recommendations. The motion passed on a roll-call vote.
On the Auto Plaza application, applicant Joe Hessler described a game-room layout with a separate area for beer service and said the business would use an ID scanner and locked stock storage. Police and liquor-board staff reported no automatic disqualifiers in the background checks and recommended approval. The council moved and unanimously recommended the Class A license for Joe Hessler Inc. dba Auto Plaza and named Lawrence Hessler as manager.
What happens next: The council's recommendations will be included in the packet sent to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, which issues final licenses. The liquor-board's stipulations for Waheguru g Scottsbluff LLC (written carding policy and staff training documentation) remain conditions the state may consider.
