Milwaukee Licenses Committee adopts food‑peddler penalties, updates alcohol code and takes action on several licenses

The Milwaukee Licenses Committee adopted local code changes and took decisions on a long list of license applications at its Dec. 2 meeting, moving quickly on two ordinances while spending much of the session on contested license applications where police reports and neighborhood testimony were cited.

Alderman Lamont Westmoreland introduced an ordinance aimed at holding food‑peddlers accountable for littering, grease dumping and other neighborhood nuisance behaviors. Licensing Division Manager Jim Cooney described the implementation as complaint driven: clerks will issue a warning letter, suspensions for cited operational violations can be handled administratively, and revocation of a reserved density spot would trigger a hearing before this committee. Westmoreland summarized the penalty schedule: “$50 for the first violation, $100 for the second, $200 for the third and $450 for the fourth,” with possible suspension or revocation for repeat or serious cases. The committee approved the substitute ordinance with no recorded objections.

The committee also adopted local code changes tied to a recent state law that defines “public place” for the purposes of alcohol licensing. Cooney told members the change simply adopts the statutory definition and clarifies that either a state-issued “no‑sale event” permit or a city Class B tavern license will be…