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MINUTES <br />CITY COUNCIL <br />JANUARY 26, 2000 <br />RECESS At this point in the meeting, 8:55 p.m., Council took a short recess. The <br />meeting was reconvened at 9:05 p.m. <br />DON Mayor Fahey offered condolences to the Don Carley family. Don Carley <br />CARLEY served for many year as the City's Engineer. <br />ALCOHOL Heather Britt, graduate student and the University of Minnesota's <br />COMPLIANCE Epidemiology Program, and Gary Gibbs, Ramsey County Sheriffs <br />CHECKS Department, appeared before the Council requesting that the City <br />participate in the U of M's study on the effects of compliance testing and <br />underage drinking. The program involves two compliance checks per year <br />per liquor establishment. The Sheriffs Department would conduct the <br />compliance checks using age-appropriate minors who would enter the <br />establishments and attempt to purchase alcohol. The study is being <br />conducted by the U of Mover atwo-year period. <br />Britt reported that the cost is approximately $16 per outlet, and would be <br />covered under the contract the City has with the Sheriffs Department. <br />There would be no added fees passed onto the City. Britt reported that <br />after the study is completed, the checks would likely continue under a new <br />program that is being started called Zero Adult Providers (ZAP). <br />Britt reported that generally when a community becomes involved in <br />compliance checking, the first round is educational and involves no <br />administrative or criminal penalties. Britt reported that subsequent rounds <br />would involve administrative penalties and not criminal. <br />Fahey pointed out that the tobacco compliance checking that the City is <br />doing is mandatory under State and Federal Law. Alcohol compliance <br />checking is not. Fahey indicated that his concern would be that there is <br />even-handed enforcement in the area of alcohol compliance checking. <br />Gibbs reported that the Sheriffs Department would conduct two <br />compliance checks per establishment each year. The buyers are age <br />appropriate, which is they are chosen by a panel because they appear to be <br />younger than the age of 21 rather than older. <br />Fahey indicated that he supported the research at this point, but was not <br />sure about extending the program beyond the U of M's two-year research <br />period. <br />Scalze asked about the fact that the first round is an educational round that <br />results in no administrative or criminal penalties. Gibbs reported that <br />17 <br />