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Council debates selling municipal liquor store, tasks staff to value it; hires manager recommended by search
Summary
Council members weighed keeping the municipally run liquor store (which has returned funds to city projects) against selling the asset while profitable; council asked staff for an independent valuation and agreed to revisit after observing new manager performance. The council hired Matthew James Olsen as manager effective Oct. 27.
Councilors engaged in an extended round‑table discussion about the municipal liquor store’s future: some argued the city should sell the recently renovated facility while it is profitable and invest proceeds (councilor suggested investing sale proceeds to generate equivalent returns), while others argued the store reliably returns funds to community causes and that sale could jeopardize long‑term local revenue and downtown vitality.
Council asked staff to obtain an independent valuation and to analyze options that would preserve downtown parking and community benefits if a sale were considered. Meanwhile, the city completed a national search for a new manager; staff and the city attorney recommended Matthew James Olsen, formerly a manager in the private sector, with a proposed start date of Oct. 27 and a starting salary discussed in the packet. Council approved the hire; at least one member recorded opposition to the hire vote.
Council directed staff to report back in six months on sales and operations under the new manager and to produce the requested valuation if members remain interested in a possible future sale.
