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Council reconsiders sealed‑bid plan and approves live chamber auction for liquor license
Summary
After a unanimous vote to reconsider a prior decision, the Minot City Council amended its prior motion and approved holding a live, in‑chamber auction for a liquor license (bids start at $1; payment due within 72 hours pending background check); the amendment passed 6–1.
The Minot City Council voted March 2 to reconsider a previous decision about auctioning a city liquor license and then changed the sale method from sealed bids to a live, in‑chamber auction.
Alderman Pittner moved to reconsider item 6.1 from the council’s Feb. 17, 2026 meeting regarding auctioning a liquor license; the council agreed unanimously to reconsider the earlier action. Pittner then proposed an amendment to the auction procedure: the license would be auctioned live in the council chamber, bid numbers would be obtained on the day of the auction, bidding would start at $1, and payment would be due within 72 hours of an approved background check for the winning bidder. Pittner framed the amendment as a transparency and entrepreneurship measure intended to provide a clearer, more public process than sealed bids.
The council approved the live auction method 6–1, with Alderman Samuelson dissenting. City Clerk Mc Williams read the text of the prior motion being reconsidered for clarity before the amendment discussion. Earlier in the meeting a public commenter, Wendy Baggley, had also urged the council to examine its rules of order and procedures for suspending rules and motions to reconsider.
Next steps: staff will schedule and advertise the live auction, specify bidder registration procedures and background‑check timelines, and return details to the council as required by the city’s adopted findings and auction order.
