Utah DABS Commission Meeting Report - January
The Utah Department of Alcohol Beverage Services commission (DABS) held its monthly meeting last Thursday, January 26th. The DABS is comprised of seven part-time members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The commission acts as the general policymaking body on the subject of alcoholic product control in Utah. The commission sets policy and makes rules, and is responsible for the issuance of licenses and permits, and the suspension or revocation of existing licenses for infractions of Utah alcohol laws.
The commission consists of the following members: Juliette Tennet (Chairman), Thomas Jacobsen, Jacquelyn Orton, Stanley B. Parrish, Tara Thue, Natalie Randall, and Jennifer Tarazon.
Closed Session – Pending Litigation
At the outset of the meeting, the commission went into closed session to discuss pending litigation with legal counsel. The details of this pending litigation were not disclosed. The commission returned from closed session at 10:38am to continue the meeting.
Future Meeting Schedule
The DABS monthly commission meetings have been moved to Thursday. This was the first meeting on a Thursday. The next two meeting are scheduled for February 23 and March 30.
Holiday Closures
The DABS administrative office, warehouse and liquor stores will be closed Monday, February 20 (Washington and Lincoln Day).
Financial Update
Sean Williford provided the financial update. Total liquor sales for the month of December were $57.3 million ($7.7 million less than the prior year). Year-to-date sales ($285 million) were the same as last years with less than 1% difference.
Parents Empowered
January was “Parents Empowered Month”. A slide presentation was show by Doug Murakami illustrating the organization’s accomplishments to date.
Approval of Temporary Store
Because of the upcoming NBA All Star Game (Feb. 17-19) in Salt Lake City, the commission discussed and voted on approving a temporary (pop-up) liquor store to be open in the downtown area during this time in order to accommodate out-of-state visitors (as well as locals) who wish to purchase alcohol during the event. DABS Director, Tiffany Clason, said there will be an influx of out-of-state and in-state visitors during this time, which will cause a lot of traffic congestion downtown. To alleviate this, a temporary liquor store would be opened inside the Salt Palace (within walking distance of many events) so patrons can buy their liquor there and then go back to their hotel rooms safely. The store will feature both national and local products and be a cashless store, so only cards will be excepted. The store will be run from Feb. 16-18th and be open from 11am – 10pm. The store was approved unanimously by the commission. This will be the first time Utah has opened a temporary liquor store.
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Bar Establishment Applicants
Despite there being three establishments seeking a bar license, the commission did not have any licenses to grant this month. This is something one of the commission members pointed out as being a problem the legislature needs to fix hopefully this session.
The Logan Golf and Country Club (Logan)
The Logan Golf and Country Club is currently operating under an “Equity” license but wants to switch to a regular bar license. Equity and Fraternal licenses allow for the storage, sale, service, and consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises of equity or fraternal organization. Because they already had an equity license, getting a bar license would not affect the quota or amount of bar licenses available.
Despite this fact, a concerned citizen from Providence, Utah called in to expression his objections and urge the commission to deny the transfer of the license. The caller who identified himself as “Tyler Riggs,” stated he had three main concerns about granting this business a bar license. First, Riggs has concerns about a change of ownership going from a non-profit to a for-profit where members may have to pay a fee. Second, he believes the granting of this license will lead to consumption of alcohol on and all throughout the property, accompanied by “bad drunken behavior”. And finally, Riggs urges the commission enforce a stricter drug use policy, claiming many employees there are using drugs while on duty, despite presenting any evidence to back his claim.
In response to Riggs concerns, Commissioner Jacobsen pointed out that whether they approve the change of ownership or license, this will not affect the number of licenses available. In addition, whether there is drug abuse and drinking going on at the property or not is not within the scope or authority of the DABS, but rather with law enforcement.
The change in license was approved.
Public Comments
Tim Ryan (co-owner, Bout Time Pub & Grub) appeared before the commission sporting black t-shirt with the message “Ready to Open” on the front. Ryan pointed out how the legislature has not taken any action on the lack of bar licenses available (as discussed earlier).
Ryan also pointed out a problem with the use (or lack thereof) of ID scanners in restaurants, as opposed to bars where they are required. This also explains why most of the underage drinker violations are much more common in restaurants than bars. In restaurants, determining the age of a customer is up to the waiter (or person who cards them) after viewing their birthdate and doing the math in their head, which can lead to mistakes. If more scanners were used, there would be less violations, according to Ryan.
A meeting agenda and audio recording from this meeting can be found here. In addition, a video of the meeting can be viewed here.
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