Councilmember says local brewery has cut production and will appear before council on Jan. 13

A councilmember told the Airway Heights City Council that a brewery established in 2018 has already cut production by roughly 20% and is considering ceasing operations or relocating because of urgent issues tied to wastewater discharge and related fees. The councilmember said he had met the owner, referred to as Jesse, and had invited the owner and a representative to speak at the council’s Jan. 13 meeting to explain the situation.

The councilmember said the business has won numerous awards — “188 medals” and recent national honors including a gold and a bronze in 2024 — and stressed the value of working with the owner to find a solution rather than pushing the business away. He said he was surprised by the severity of the problem and that the owner had already reduced production and was discussing “packing up his tent and going home.” The councilmember said he had proposed at least one potential solution and advocated for staff and council collaboration.

Acting City Manager Heather Trautman told the council she had been on the email chain about the matter and cautioned that if related fees are set too high the costs could be passed down to residents. Trautman described ongoing discussions between staff and the business but did not provide a detailed timeline or a specific fee schedule.

The council asked staff to continue investigating and to collect information before the owner’s scheduled appearance on Jan. 13. No formal action or vote on fees or regulations occurred at the meeting; the council instead emphasized seeking collaborative solutions and hearing directly from the business owner at the upcoming meeting.