05-26-2015 Council Work Session Minutes

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION APPROVED 2 3 4 DATE 5 TIME STARTED 6 TIME ENDED 7 MEMBERS PRESENT 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 MEMBERS ABSENT CITY OF LINO LAKES MINUTES May 26, 2015 : May 26, 2015 . 6:00 p.m. . 6:28 p.m. : Council Member Stoesz, Kusterman, Rafferty, Roeser and Mayor Reinert : None Staff members present: City Administrator Jeff Karison; Finance Director Al Rolek; Public Safety Director John Swenson; City Clerk Julie Bartell 15 1. Liquor Licensing — Restriction on number of licenses per individual- City 16 Clerk Bartell reviewed her written report regarding a section of the City Code that 17 prohibits individuals from holding more than one intoxicating liquor license in the city. 18 The council had discussed the matter at a previous work session and asked that staff 19 provide additional information for further discussion. The report outlined staff's 20 findings on history of the language and the restrictions in other cities. An amendment 21 limiting additional licenses to restaurants was included in the report for discussion 22 purposes. 23 24 The council asked questions about why other cities have the language in their code, the 25 definition of restaurant, and options besides limiting a change to just restaurants. The 26 council reviewed some of the process required for obtaining a liquor license, including a 27 background check, and how this restriction may fit in. 28 29 Adam Lamere, Lakes Liquor, was present and indicated that he doesn't have a particular 30 problem with changing this restriction but he feels it may open the market up even more 31 and allow a large operator to drive out the smaller ones; he reminded the council that he's 32 been requesting that the city limit off -sale licenses for many years, with no success in 33 achieving that change. 34 35 Council directed staff to return to the next regular work session for more discussion. A 36 council member suggested, for the purpose of continuing discussion, that the amendment 37 could be limited to allow just one additional license and only to a restaurant. It was also 38 noted that the city is geographically large and that lends itself to a point where 39 establishments may actually want to have more than one location; licenses should be 4o driven by the market. 41 42 2. Review 2014 Annual Audit, CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP — Finance Director 43 Rolek introduced Chris Knopik and Daniel Persaud of CliftonLarsonAllen, LLC to 44 provide an overview of the City's 2014 Annual Financial Report, present the auditor's 1