Posted: | March 1, 2017 10:37 AM |
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From: | Representative Brian L. Ellis |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Municipal Retail Liquor License |
In the near future I plan on introducing legislation that will amend the liquor code to create a Municipal Retail Liquor License. A Municipal Retail Liquor License may only be issued to a municipality if the electors have permitted it through local option. A municipality with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants shall be eligible for a license and the Board may issue up to two licenses to the governing body of that municipality upon application and approval. Even though the license is awarded to the municipality and will remain the property of the municipality, they may assign the license to a private operator to operate a restaurant in the local community. While we have made great strides in the past year reforming the liquor system, our small communities that are in need of economic development often are unable to obtain a restaurant license due to the high cost of licenses on the private market. It is my hope that this legislation will create a pathway for those small communities to obtain this much needed economic boost. Thank you in advance for taking the time to consider co-sponsoring my legislation. |