Liquor store saga comes to an end, finally

It appears that the controversy over a new liquor store being built by the city has led to the demise of the municipal liquor store itself. The business at the intersection of Highways 16 and 385 abruptly closed last week after an early June vote of city residents. The residents said they no longer wanted the city to be in the retail liquor store business and voted 349-218 to close it after business hours Tuesday, June 8.

The city-wide vote June 8 was the result of earlier disagreements over constructing a new $400,000 municipal liquor store at the present site. These differences of opinion on whether the city needed to spend that much money on a new store led some to believe that the city should not be in the liquor business at all. After an independent audit of the liquor store it was found that the business made a little over $22,000 annually.

The issue of closing the store became highly controversial with the city council first voting to close the business. This vote was overridden by the mayor who was a driving force behind a new liquor store in the first place. The mayor believed the business was a good money-maker for the city and could be even better with larger quarters for more inventory.

Then the closing matter was referred to the voters, the majority of whom became convinced that the city either was not making that much money annually in the liquor business or that the city should not be in the business of selling liquor at all. Proponents of closing the store maintained the city could make more money with less overhead with the 10 percent wholesale markup tax it receives from the privately-operated liquor, beer and wine outlets.

After the liquor store was closed by the voting residents, there was the question of exactly when it was to be closed. Some wanted to get the remaining summer business, including the upcoming motorcycle rally in  August. Others wanted the store closed immediately because that’s what they thought the intention of the voters would be. Closed means closed, they said, and they prevailed as the lights were turned off last Wednesday evening for the final time.

Now all that has to be done is to sell the remaining inventory to the highest bidder. The city will soon be accepting sealed bids for the entire inventory list of what remains on the shelves or in the coolers at the municipal liquor store. Then the mayor and council will have to decide what becomes of the empty building and property at the busy intersection. 

We understand that replatting is already in progress to separate the former retail liquor store property from the water treatment/well facility on the same parcel of land. Then the former liquor store property can be sold by the city. It has been a long and sometime painful process, but the voters of the city have spoken and their wishes are being carried out by the city council.

That’s the way things should work in our democratic republic.