Waukesha City licensing committee approves several operator and liquor licenses, holds one change-of-agent request

The Waukesha City Ordinance and Licensing Committee approved multiple liquor- and operator-license applications and held one change-of-agent request at its Nov. 24 meeting.

The committee chair opened the meeting at 06:00 and moved through licensing items. The committee unanimously approved an operator (bartender) license for Gary Hurd after confirming he had completed the responsible-server course. “That passes unanimously,” the committee chair said after the motion and second were recorded.

A separate application for James Galinski was not acted on because the applicant was not present; the item was held for the next meeting.

The committee then considered William Pierce’s operator application. Committee members noted a single alcohol-related offense on Mr. Pierce’s record from about 20 years ago but expressed support for approval. Joette Barta, who identified herself as Mr. Pierce’s agent, told the committee the business (identified in the record as Nice) had been closed after an August water incident and aimed to reopen around Dec. 15. A motion to approve Mr. Pierce’s license passed with 4 yes votes and 1 abstention; because of the abstention, the committee chair said the item will appear before the full council rather than on the consent agenda.

The committee also reviewed two liquor-license applications together. A committee member moved to approve Fluffy’s Tall Boys Cantina and Kitchen for a Class B beer-and-liquor combo license and PKK 2 LLC for a reserve Class B beer-and-liquor combo license; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

A change-of-agent request for Woodman’s Food Market (agent listed as Matthew Alba) was held for follow-up after members noted the agent’s stated residence in Evansville, Wisconsin, lies roughly 75 driving miles from Waukesha, exceeding the committee’s 25-mile residency limit in the municipal code. The chair asked the clerk’s office to verify eligibility under the municipal code before bringing the item back for action.

The clerk reported no communications, and the meeting adjourned at 06:12.

What’s next: items held for follow-up (James Galinski’s application and Woodman’s change-of-agent) will return in a future meeting after requested clerk follow-up; approved operator licenses will be forwarded to the full council for final placement on the Dec. 2 council agenda, with at least one item not placed on consent because of an abstention.