Danville’s Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr says the City Council is looking to adjust liquor fees not just because it hasn’t been done since 2003, but also because a lot of establishment owners were coming to him saying, “We want to do this; can some changes be made?”
AUDIO: The growlers, the package sales, the pick-up and delivery; where things that our business owners and our bars and our package establishments here in Danville requested. I think it’s important for us to be as business friendly as possible. So we wanted to make sure that we accommodated those requests in our new ordinance.
And that new ordinance, updating both liquor and video gaming fees, was passed Tuesday (Feb 27th) evening by the Council’s Public Services committee. But first, Alderman Jon Cooper proposed an amendment that was approved. The annual license to operate a bar would NOT go up from $1,375 to $1,800; but $1,375 to $1,500. Michael Gregory, owner of the The Big Four Tavern at 620 North Vermilion; said that was a good start. But he says when it’s on the full City Council agenda next Tuesday, March 5th; he’ll be back to speak again. He’d like to see something done about separate $600 fees for both packaging, AND pick-up and delivery.
AUDIO: The package and delivery is a different animal. I don’t agree with it, and I’m hoping they’ll do away with those extra fees.
Big Four Tavern owner Michael Gregory and Vermilion River Beer Company owner Peter Blackmon address the Danville City Council Public Services Committee during their Tuesday, February 27th meeting.
For 103 North Vermilion Vermilion River Beer Company owner Peter Blackmon, the main issue was “can we please slow down a bit, and perhaps get more input from tavern owners.”
AUDIO: There’s no rush. Nobody’s going broke tomorrow. Bring us in on the forefront, and we can work together on it. And maybe you can get some insight into our industry along the way; and understand what even the incremental increases in those fees does to a business like ours.
Mayor Williams also mentioned that for the new Video Gaming Hall license, video gaming establishments not with a full bar but with alcohol available such as beer and wine coolers inside a cooler; eight establishments already in existence will be able to transfer to that license, with a ninth new establishment pending. That would leave one brand new Video Gaming Hall license available.
In addition, if the ordinance update is passed by the full council, liquor and video gaming licenses would now both run from July 1st to June 30th. Currently, the video gaming licenses run from May 1st to April 30th. So for this year only, May and June would be free for the video gaming licenses, allowing both to be in synch for all succeeding ye
