Committee directs city attorney to draft 25-mile agent-residency revision and request police input

The Waukesha City Ordinance and Licensing Committee on Dec. 9 discussed proposals to relax a residency requirement in municipal code 9.09 that currently limits who may serve as an agent for alcohol and tobacco licensees.

Committee member Pete introduced the referral, saying the change would “promote hands on ownership,” reduce problems created by high staff turnover, widen the pool of qualified agents and help create a more business-friendly environment. Business owner Laurie told the committee she sometimes struggles to find an in-county agent and said, “I feel I’m ultimately responsible anyhow,” arguing a modest expansion of the residency boundary would help prospective businesses open in Waukesha City.

Staff member Brian presented geographic and travel-time checks using Google Maps and radius estimates. He said a 20-mile radius from City Hall would cover the county’s communities with typical driving times of roughly 30–45 minutes; a 50-mile radius would cross the Wisconsin–Illinois border in places and could allow out-of-state residents to qualify. As Brian summarized, a 20–25 mile radius keeps likely response times shorter while addressing the staffing concerns the amendment aims to resolve.

Committee members debated options. One member asked whether state law requires 90 days of Wisconsin residency for license holders; that point was raised for clarification and not resolved during the meeting. Several members emphasized the need for the Police Department’s view, noting police would likely be the agency requesting an agent’s presence in an incident and could advise on reasonable response expectations.

The committee coalesced around directing the city attorney to draft an ordinance revision that would set a 25-mile radius from City Hall as the residency boundary for agents and to invite the Police Department to provide comment for the committee’s next meeting (members said they expect to revisit the draft in about two weeks). Brian said city GIS staff can prepare maps showing proposed radii, and the city attorney agreed to prepare draft language for committee review.

Why it matters: the change would affect who is eligible to be listed as an agent on liquor and tobacco licenses, balancing owners’ ability to find responsible agents against officials’ desire for timely, local response to incidents. Next steps: the city attorney will draft language reflecting the 25-mile proposal and solicited police-department feedback; the committee will revisit the item at its next meeting.