Carrier Mills officially goes wet

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Carrier Mills Village Board passed the liquor-control ordinance at a special meeting Wednesday.

Mayor Louis Shaw, who earlier threatened a veto of the ordinance if provisions allowing convenience stores to sell alcohol remained, indicated last night he plans to sign the ordinance.

"I do not foresee vetoing it; it would be an exercise in futility," Shaw said.

Shaw had reasoned a package store likely won't succeed if convenience stores are allowed to sell package liquor.

The ordinance becomes effective 10 days after it is published in the newspaper. Applications for a liquor license should be ready by Monday, Shaw said.

The ordinance passed on a split vote. David Kyle, Geoff Absher and Bill Jensik voted yes; Greg Prince and Derek Field voted no. Jim Swan was unable to attend the meeting.

Prince outlined some objections before the vote was cast. Six licenses in a town with fewer than 2,000 people is too many, he said. Originally there was talk of no Sunday sales; now, the ordinance allows license-holders to choose up to six Sundays for sales. Prince said. the provision allowing convenience stores will adversely affect workers at Casey's if the store gets a license, which is considered a possibility. Employees there did not anticipate selling alcohol when they got their jobs, Prince said.

"May God have mercy on us," Prince said.

A few alterations to the ordinance were made before the vote. The liquor control commissioner -- Shaw -- will receive $75 per month compensation. The fee for a beer-only license package license was set at $1,250. Licenses for establishments that conduct more than 50 percent of their business from sources other than alcohol will have package license fees of $1,250. The clause barring use of the word "saloon" in the name of an establishment selling liquor was dropped.

Provisions of the ordinance include:

-- Six licenses. There may be multiple licenses in each category -- there are no maximums in any single category of license. For example, all the licenses could be for package liquor businesses. Shaw said the licenses will be first-come, first-served.

-- Hours of operation are from 9 am to midnight on Monday and Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. On open Sundays, licensees could sell alcohol from 2 p.m. to midnight on their six allowed dates. Board members agreed to have operating hours the same as Harrisburg to prevent possibly impaired drivers from running from one town to another to take advantage of later closing hours.

-- Licenses would continue for one-year terms, from May 1 to April 30.

-- Establishments with liquor licenses must be located at least 100 feet from schools, churches, hospitals or homes for the aged or indigent. One hundred feet is understood to mean from property line to property line, except in the case of a church. For churches, the limit is property line of the liquor establishment to the closest part of the church used for services. The limits follow state law, Shaw said.

-- Licenses may not be issued in areas that are primarily residential, as determined by the board unless two-thirds of the residents within 100 feet of the proposed site give their consent.

-- Several licenses would be available at different licensing fees, including a package store license at $1,500; restaurant license at $1,000; an on-premises, tavern license at $1,500; an on-premises license for a club at $750; beer and wine only at a restaurant for $750; beer and wine-only package sales for $1,250; a combination license allowing on-premises and package sales from a club at $1,250; a catering license at $200; and a combination allowing consumption on premises and package sales for establishments other than clubs at $2,000. Businesses that produce more than 50 percent of their business from retail sales other than alcohol must pay $1,250 for an annual liquor license.