Agenda - Council - 02/08/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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SD-57. Wine and Off -Sale Licenses Issue: Minn. Stat. ch. 340A authorizes cities to issue liquor licenses to various establishments within their jurisdictions, but in virtually all cases, the license issued by the city is not valid until the state approves it. This is true for such commonly issued licenses as wine, off -sale intoxicating liquor and temporary on -sale intoxicating liquor licenses. The result is extra time spent for city staff, as well as a time -based commercial impact to the business pursuing the original license. Additionally, if a business applies for an on - sale wine license, the state may choose to conduct an inspection of the business further delaying approval of the license and full operation of the establishment. This inspection is often in addition to a city certificate of occupancy inspection and a county health inspection. Response: The Legislature should remove the requirement of approval by the commissioner for city -issued liquor licenses and simply require cities to notify the state of newly issued and renewed licenses as is already the case for intoxicating on -sale liquor licenses and all 3.2-liquor licenses. If the state requires an inspection to certify an on -sale wine license, this should be delegated to either the city or county to be conducted at the same time as other inspections. This will expedite the process for both the state and the business. SD-58. Youth Access to Alcohol and Tobacco Issue: To promote public safety and public health, cities have an interest in preventing youth from obtaining alcohol and tobacco. For example, the Minnesota Department of Health reports that 80 percent of adult 50 smokers had their first cigarette before the age of 18; reducing youth tobacco use may help prevent adverse impacts of tobacco in the future. To this end, many cities operate compliance check programs in an effort to discern the current level of youth access and to reduce youth access. Statewide, a number of cities have created community partnerships with their court systems, local businesses, and school districts to quickly address problems associated with youth access to alcohol and tobacco. Response: The League of Minnesota Cities opposes any proposal that could result in increased risks of youth access to alcohol and tobacco products and supports statutory changes that assist in reducing youth access to alcohol and tobacco products. The League supports locally -determined alcohol compliance check programs, but any state mandate for alcohol compliance checks should come with state -supported funding initiatives to support these locally - determined compliance efforts. The Legislature should consider a grant program supporting locally -based community partnerships that can quickly and effectively respond to youth access problems. SD-59. Consumer Small Loans Issue: Consumer small loans, also known as "payday loans," are short-term cash loans based on the borrower's personal check held for future deposit or on electronic access to the borrower's bank account. Borrowers write a personal check for the amount borrowed plus the finance charge and receive cash. In some cases, borrowers sign over electronic access to their bank accounts to receive and repay payday loans. Lenders hold the checks until the borrower's next payday when loans and the finance charge must be paid in one lump sum.