Lakefield council approves limited holiday hours for city liquor store

The Lakefield City Council on Feb. 2 voted to open the city liquor store for limited hours on two upcoming holidays after the liquor committee reviewed recent sales data.

Heather Hussong-Reasoner, council member and mover of the motion, said committee analysis showed an overall loss of $268.89 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and that sales trends have been stronger after 2 p.m. The council approved opening the store on Presidents Day (Feb. 16) from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Juneteenth (June 19) from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a part-time employee scheduled for both days (motion Hussong-Reasoner/Monson; unanimous).

The decision followed discussion about staffing costs and consistency in the holiday schedule. Councilmember Jeff Paplow questioned compensation mechanics and fiscal impact, asking, "isn't the city compensating the employee with overtime wage? Why would the employee get those Holiday hours to use at a later date for then the city is paying 2.5 time for that worked Holiday." City Clerk Holly Rademacher explained the city's PTO structure and said a part-time staffing arrangement would limit overtime exposure while preserving employee benefits for full-time staff.

Frerichs, identified in the minutes as the party who requested to be open on Feb. 16, told the council vendors will still deliver on holidays and that a keypad on the back door tracks vendor access; the council noted existing security measures.

Councilmembers said they wanted consistent policy and more data; Paplow urged keeping the store open on all holidays to continue collecting information before any broader change. The motion passed unanimously.

The council said it will monitor sales and staffing effects and revisit the holiday schedule if warranted at a future meeting.