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Question 1: Determine the number of off -sale liquor establishments that may locate in the City. Answer— The Governing Body shall determine the number of stores. Minnesota State Statutes Chapter 340A regulates all Liquor activities in the State of Minnesota with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Division of Alcohol and Gambling responsible for enforcement. The Division publishes "Minnesota Liquor Laws and Rules" which details two statutes that apply: 1. Minnesota Statute 340A.405 Subdivision 1. (a) Cities. (a) A city other than a city of the first class may issue with the approval of the commissioner, an off -sale intoxicating liquor license to an exclusive liquor store, or to a drugstore to which an off -sale license had been issued on or prior to May 1, 1994. 2. Minnesota Statute 340A.413 Subdivision 5.0ff--sale licenses. No off -sale intoxicating liquor license may be issued in any city, except as provided in this section, in excess of the following limits: (1) in cities of the first class, not more than one off -sale license for each 5,000 population; and (2) in all other cities the limit shall be determined by the governing body of the city. Question 2: Analyze the relationship between off -sale liquor stores and criminal activity. Answer — There can be, but the answer is situational depending on variables. For Mounds View and specific to our current licensed establishments there is little evidence of increased criminal activity associated to off -sale liquor. Policy issues related to this question: 1. If there is a relationship between crime and liquor stores; what are the measurable impacts. Mrriiccinn Research conducted by The University of California, Berkely student Bing-ru Teh in 2007 examined the relationships between Liquor stores and an increase in crime and urban decay. His findings caused him to determine that while there was a correlation between crime and property values to liquor stores, there was no causal evidence. The uncertainty relates to which occurs first. His study was specific to the opening and closing of stores and for low economic status areas there was an increase in crime. However, this was related to late business hours which subsequently led to a neighborhood gathering space and consistent with FBI and Department of Justice crime data findings over decades, there is an increase in crime where alcohol is present. Conversely, if a store is situated in high economic status rea the criminal activity did not occur nor was there an appreciable impact on market values. An internet search of this question finds overwhelming evidence, statistics and research papers that reinforce the high correlation between alcohol consumption and crime as criminal activity (as well as non -criminal but societal unacceptable) behavior occurs with consumption. Specific to the issue of off - sale stores one would have to presume that consumption occurs with or shortly after purchase and in close proximity. While that does occur in on -sale establishments, there is no apparent evidence that it occurs in off -sale as a general rule. However, there is evidence that it can be situational specific an example being the new liquor store in a low socioeconomic area where it becomes a congregation place. 2