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<br />Council Business <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman noted that tobacco noncompliance cases have been rare during his time on the <br />Council, and as Mayor, he asked whether this was the city’s first compliance violation to reach <br />this stage, or whether an appeal process had led the matter to the Council. <br /> <br />Police Chief Bluml stated that there are 17 licensed tobacco retailers in the city and noted that state <br />law changed in 2020, raising the minimum age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21. He added that the <br />city ordinance is currently being updated to align with the statute and will be brought forward at a <br />future meeting. <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman asked whether there had been other violations of the ordinance in recent years <br />and whether any had been brought before the Council. <br /> <br />Police Chief Bluml confirmed that this is the first violation presented to the Council during his <br />tenure. <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman stated that the fine is being assessed against G-Will Liquors as a business entity. <br />Still, the violation resulted from the actions of an individual employee and does not necessarily <br />indicate unsafe practices by the company as a whole. <br /> <br />Police Chief Bluml confirmed that the violation could be attributable to a single employee and <br />noted that the primary public safety concern is whether the business provides adequate training to <br />its employees. <br /> <br />Councilmember Buscher asked about whether informational flyers or notices are distributed when <br />statutes change to help ensure that businesses are aware of and comply with updated requirements. <br /> <br />Police Chief Bluml stated that staff’s plan was to mail the updated ordinance to licensed businesses <br />during the upcoming license renewal process to ensure awareness of the changes, including the <br />revised 36-month timeframe for repeat offenses. <br /> <br />Councilmember Buscher asked whether the city offers any training courses or educational <br />opportunities for business owners or employees to reduce penalties and improve future <br />compliance. <br /> <br />Police Chief Bluml stated that the city does not currently offer such training courses but indicated <br />that staff could explore developing them in the future. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht asked whether the business disputed the violation, presented any <br />additional information, or acknowledged the incident and indicated steps to prevent future <br />occurrences. <br /> <br />Police Chief Bluml indicated the company had not contacted him, so he was not sure what steps <br />would be taken to prevent future occurrences. <br /> <br />City Council /January 13, 2026 <br />Page 6 of 8 <br /> <br />