Riverton council adopts first reading of liquor-license point system after public hearing

Riverton’s City Council voted to adopt on first reading Ordinance 25-009, establishing a points-based system that assigns numeric values to liquor-license violations after a court conviction and links those points to graduated penalties.

The ordinance, proposed by staff at the council’s Dec. 2 meeting, keeps criminal adjudication in the courts as a prerequisite: a conviction in municipal or circuit court would trigger city notification and give the licensee an opportunity to request an administrative hearing. Under the ordinance, 25 points in a 12-month period would carry a modest fine, larger point totals would raise fines and short suspensions, and repeated suspensions could prompt a recommendation by the council that the city attorney seek license revocation in district court.

The measure drew a large turnout from the hospitality industry. Rafael del Gadillo, owner of River City Rendezvous, asked how the city would determine when a patron is legally “intoxicated” in a bar or restaurant and whether a licensee should be held responsible for an employee’s mistake. “If I provide information that I did what was in my ability to make sure they adhere to the law…is that hearing officer going to look and say, ‘You provided training’?” Del Gadillo asked.

Supporters on the council framed the ordinance as an effort to make enforcement less subjective. “All we’re doing is assessing a point system to the violations that are already in place so that we have a way to track if you’ve had those violations,” Councilwoman Karen Johnson said during debate, adding that the point table clarifies expectations for license holders.

Residents and some business owners urged caution. “If we haven’t had hearings here before, are we solving a problem or creating a bureaucracy?” said Pascal Martinez, a former license holder, asking the council to study how similar systems work in Laramie and Cody before final adoption.

Councilmembers Amend the Draft: Council amended the ordinance’s language to clarify that points may be assessed for violations of city code and/or state law, not only when both are violated. Staff also said they will review cross-references to municipal and circuit courts to ensure the city clerk receives notice when appropriate. The ordinance will return for additional readings with staff-proposed clarifications.

Votes and next steps: Council passed the ordinance on first reading as amended and scheduled follow-up work before second and third readings. The ordinance as drafted assigns points only after a court conviction; licensees may request an administrative hearing to contest point attribution and subsequently appeal to the council.

Votes at a glance: On Dec. 2 the council also approved several routine and project items: approval of finance committee claims totaling $1,135,838.94 (motion by Councilwoman Johnson; second by Councilwoman Pearson Lewis; voice vote); approval of the Taqueria Los Amigos restaurant liquor license pending Wyoming Liquor Division certification (motion by Councilman Larson; second by Councilman Bailey; voice vote); and approval of a hangar ground-lease transfer at Central Wyoming Regional Airport to Jerry Bornhoff (motion by Councilman Carr; second by Councilman Bailey; voice vote).

Why it matters: Supporters said the point table creates transparent, objective criteria for escalating penalties and gives the city a record to consider at renewal time; critics said the system risks penalizing license holders for employee errors and urged data-driven review and comparisons to other cities before the ordinance is finalized. The council directed staff to gather court-reporting data and examples from comparable cities before the next reading.

The ordinance’s next steps are additional readings and targeted edits to clarify court-notification language and administrative hearing process. The council’s action was limited to a first-reading adoption; final adoption would follow after further review.