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Commissioners direct staff to draft seasonal on-sale liquor license ordinance
Summary
County staff told commissioners that Minnesota Statute 34A.404, subd. 6 allows counties to issue seasonal on-sale liquor licenses for unincorporated areas; commissioners asked staff to draft an updated ordinance and assemble a cross-functional work group to review implementation details.
County staff asked the Goodhue County Board of Commissioners to direct staff to revise the county's 2011 food-and-beverage ordinance to allow seasonal on-sale liquor licenses consistent with Minnesota Statute 34A.404, subdivision 6.
Lucas, finance and taxpayer services staff, said a business has requested a seasonal on-sale license and that statute permits counties, with state approval, to issue seasonal licenses to restaurants, clubs and resorts in unincorporated areas for a period the county must set by ordinance not to exceed nine months. "The addition of the resorts was new in this last legislative session," Lucas said, noting the county's ordinance is out of date and references restaurant inspections that were returned to the state in 2014.
Commissioners asked whether wedding venues or private clubs would qualify; Lucas said such specifics would be addressed when an application is submitted and recommended forming a work group that includes the sheriff's office, HHS, the attorney's office, land use and finance staff to draft appropriate language and procedures.
Several commissioners indicated support for staff to draft the ordinance revisions and return with a proposal.
Next steps: staff will assemble a cross-department work group, draft ordinance language to permit seasonal on-sale licenses consistent with state statute, and return to the board for formal consideration.
