Stillwater Mayor Expects Council to Table Amendment to Tighten Liquor Ordinance

Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki expects the City Council to table the second reading of a proposed liquor ordinance amendment aimed at “improving conduct” at local drinking establishments. 

The council last week approved the first reading of the ordinance amendment. 

But after hearing concerns from a group of Stillwater restaurant owners—about the ambiguity of the language in the amendment, a lack of discourse between city officials and liquor-license holders and the uncertainty of the financial consequences of the amendment—city officials have decided to discuss the proposed changes with business owners and revisit the verbiage in the amendment. 

“I think we’ll kill it and bring it back for discussion later,” Harycki said Tuesday night. “As written, I think it’s flawed right now, so we’ll rework it. It may change, but it might not.  That’s why we have second readings on these sorts of things.” 

Specifically, the proposed changes would hold liquor license holders accountable for disorderly conduct, assault, unlawful assembly, noise and outdoor music violations, and trespassing. 

The amendment includes incidents reported inside an establishment, as well as on the streets and sidewalks adjacent to the bar. 

Any combination of six conduct-related incidents reported at a drinking establishment over the course of a year could mean a violation and citation. 

In response to the proposed amendment, restaurant owners questioned who would be held responsible in certain situations, like a wedding party getting out of control while bar-hopping in downtown Stillwater. 

Another issue is whether the owner would be held responsible for a call to police asking for assistance removing an unruly patron, essentially creating a disincentive for bar owners to call police. 

“None of us are against being held accountable for our actions,” said Ben Grose, a manager at Smalley’s Caribbean Barbeque and Pirate Bar. “If we step out of line, absolutely we need to be punished for it. But it’s not fair to say we are all responsible for everyone who is walking through the town.” 

The way the amendment is currently written, those are valid points, Harycki said. 

“We were looking for a tweak, not a club, so we’ll talk with restaurant owners, the police chief and the city attorney and ask staff to look into this a little more,” the mayor said. “We are just looking for more tools to deal with it.” 

Councilman Doug Menikheim said he too is looking forward to dialogue with the restaurant owners. 

“By all means I want to hear their view, they can hear our point of view and we can work things out,” Menikheim said. “There needs to be more teeth to this ordinance; and it has to be understood by all parties.” 

The city’s existing liquor ordinance covers a variety of issues ranging from selling alcohol after hours and serving minors to tax evasion. 

The proposed amendment arose after residents questioned police about the conduct at bars last month after two people died in separate incidents.