Reduction helps taverns closed by pandemic
By Bert Lehman
Due to bars and restaurants s being closed since March 17, the city of Clintonville approved a resolution to reduce the Class B beer, liquor and reserve licenses by 25%.
The Clintonville City Council approved the reduction at its May 12 meeting.
Prior to the meeting, City Administrator Sharon Eveland said in an April 14 memo to the council, that the Wisconsin Tavern League asked city to “waive fees for all licenses associated with owning a bar that could be waived and reducing those with state minimums to the minimum.”
In a letter to the city of Clintonville from Douglas Korth, the request included:
• Lowering the renewal of existing Class B liquor license to $50, the lowest amount allowed by state statute; waiving the renewal fee for Class B beer license; waiving the renewal fee for any amusement license the city has;
• Waiving renewal fees for existing operators licenses;
• Waiving the renewal fee for any municipal or cabaret license.
“This may not seem like a lot of money to you, but every little bit helps to our small struggling businesses in Wisconsin,” Korth said in the letter.
Eveland said in her memo that she didn’t recommend the city approve all those reductions, rather it should settle on a 25% reduction for Class B license fees. These fees are for “bars, restaurants, and club style sales.”
“After discussing this with the mayor and looking to see what other municipalities are doing, we felt this reduction would be the right move for our business community,” Eveland said. “We are only requesting it for Class B, as Class A are retail establishments that have not been shut down (and are likely experiencing an increase in these types of sales). Those with Class B licenses have very likely experienced major hardships as a result of the restrictions and closures.”
She added that 25% was decided on because that was the approximate time the businesses were expected to be closed. The fees affected by the resolution would be for licenses issued between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.
“There is no one single way other municipalities are doing this, but the trend I am seeing is that a slight majority are making some sort of adjustment,” Eveland said.
Due to the fee reduction, the city expects a loss of income in the amount of $1,700.