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HomeMy WebLinkAboutORDINANCE 0188-1970PROVIDINO FOR A HEVI$ION OF CITY CODE AGE LIMITATIONS RELATING TO ALCO~{OLIC BEVERAGE DISPENtAt{Y PATRONAGES FROM AG~ 21 TO AGE 19 TO CONPO~ WITH STATE STATUTES AND DECLARING AN EMEROENCY. WHEREAS, conformance to the State law for regulation of liquor or alcoholic beverages will facilitate the enforcement of such regulations, thereby promoting the public convenience and welfare, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA: Section 1. The Council flndo and declares that the public ~lfa~e and convenience would best be served by conforming liquor or alcoholic beverage regulation to the rules and regulations specified by Statutes of the State of Alaska. $eotion 2. That the Eenai Code, 1963, as amended, Sections 2-5 (2or ~he' Section 2-5 (a) which was enacted as Section i of O~dinance 127 on 11/1/67), 2-6, 2-7, and 2-8 are hereby repealed. Section .]. That the Code of the City of Eenai, 1963, as amended, is hereby further amended to inco~porate by reference, as though set forth in full herein, the following quoted provisions of the Statutes of the State of Alaska which are l~o':tified by section number and catchllne title below: 3ea. 0~.15.020 RESTRICTIONS ON SALE OR DISPOSITION OF LIQUOE. Sec. 0~.15.060 PURCHASE BY MINORS. Sec. 0~.15.080 GIVING OF INTOXICATING LIQUOR TO PERSONS UNDE~ THE AOE OF i9 YEARS (Pe~nissible penalties to the full extent pe~mitted by law to home-rule charter city). Sea. 0~.15.090 PROHIBITION WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN FEMALES IN CONNECTION WITH LIQUOR SALES (would replace Eenai Code, Sec. 2-8). Section ~. An emergency is hereby declared and the rules gove~ning the introduction reading, passage, and approval of this o~dlnance are hereby suspended and this ordinance shall be effective immediately upon its passage and approval. EMERGENCY DECLARED ~. day of November 1970. FIRST BEADING i day of November 1970. PASSAOE ~ day of November 1970. FINAL CITY OF KENAI EUG~ H. MORIN, M~yor ATTEST: TO: Mayor ana Council FROM: City Att,rney 3UBJ: Alternative reactions to change of drinking age law limitations of the State of Alaska. 1, Previously forwarded for your consideration and approval or rejection or further consideration are the following: a. An ordinance which would change the existing Kenai Code, Sections 2-5, 2-b, and 2-7 to conform to the 19 year age restriction on persons using alcoholic beverage clspensary licensed premises. The ordinance in the lengthy form is almost verbatim the provision presently existing in the Kenai Code. b. Also forwarded for your consideration, as an alternative approach, is the repeal of Kenai Code provisions and an a~option of certain sections of state statutem. This ordinance, the shorter one proposed, would avoid mni conflicts between t~e City of ~enai regulation of alcoholic beverage licensed premises ana those regulations set forth in State Statutes. c. The Council could, as one alternative courze of action, ~ake no action. This ~ould leave the existing Code in effect and would require the enforcement action appropriate to the Code. 2. COMMENTS: a. A repeal of existing sections of the code ~ould much facilitate administration because the code language is not as ~idely utilized and interpreted as state statutes might be. ~herefore, precedents in other sections of the state cannot be applied to our code the way they can be to state statutes. b. The understanding of the persons who encounter the enforcement actions, i.e., the bar owners and operators, is ueually focused entirely on state regulation. To require consideration of both clt2 code and state regulation is apt to be confusing and frustrating. That situation in itself can cause unnecessary antipathy toward the government of the City of Kenai. o. ~he decision on a change of the age limit from 21 to 1~ lies within the political sphere of the Council. It is freighted with all of the usual pressures and counter-pressures that might be experienced in such a situation. In the event no action is taken, there is always the possibility that the bar owners, as such, could seek to have a court action which would declare the City's regulation invalid as liquor matters oecau~e the ~tate is the only one which should regulate that field. I ~ould s~ggest that a court action should be avoided because it might set a p~ precedent f~r~2~m~r.~le powers. C~ Attorney CITY OF KENAI P. O, lOX SI0 KENAI, ALASKA 99&11 TELEPHONE 283 - 7555 October 29, 1970 To : Honorable ~ayor and City Council From : City ~anager Subject : Legal Drinking Age, Kenai Section 2.5 of the City Code establlshos the legal drinking age in Kenai at 21 years. Section 1-6 of the City Charter ~eads: "Provisions of state law relating to matters which may be regulated by home-~ule cities shall be ~n effect in this city only. insofar as they are applicable ,and are not superseded by this charter or by O~dinance.' ~his weans tl~at we should decide at our Movember 4 Council meeting whether to amend local o~dinances so that t~y con- fc~ with S~ate law cP whether to leave thom status quo ~d enforce t~m aocovdin~12. ~.~while, we ~ve no choice but tO~ advise local ba~ operators t~t the legal d~in& a&e i'a 21 years pendins possible ~en~nt of t~ Code b~ Co.oil ao~on. ~t~. ~isherhas been advised of this p~oblem. aespect£ully, O~mond Robbina City ;/anager TO: Mayor and Council 13 November 1970 ~: Amendment, Kenai Codo, Section 2-5 (b) In accordance with your direction, Ordinance -70 has its objectives to: 1. Prepare a proposed ordinance to correct the administrative error in accordance with what is apparently the concensus of a majority of Council. 2. The proposed ordinance has been set up as an emergency ordinance -- if the Council should wish to treat it in that fashion. 3. If the Council does not wish to treat the ordinance as an emergency, then Section 3 can be stricken. 4. If the Council wishes to restrict this license to an individual only, as was the apparent intent of the first ordinance, then the second sentence of the proposed sub-section (b) can be left in. 5. If the Council wishes only to restrict the liquor license to the premises in question, then the second section of suo- paragraph (b) can be stricken and Section 2 should be deleted. 6. In the event the Council wishes to act on this particular matter, I have attempJle~to provide as many alternates as ~p/u~ar possible (an~e~ tq conform to Council's intent). Cl~ AOtorney M~40 TO: Mayo? and Council 16 November 1970 SUBJ: Ordinance I~SA-VO (Re¢.~.ion of Code Provisions on Liquor) 1. In my memo of ;~ November 1970, I indicated to you in paragraph 2(c) some of the problems -- and I know the Council was fully aware of the public aspects of the problems involved in the change of liquor age requirement. 2. The use of emergency ordinance is entirely within the realm of the Council to decide upon. The Manager has advised that a protest has been received over the handling of the change as an emergency ordinance. 3. QUESTIONS: The criticism directed at the handling of this matter as an emergency is apparently predicated on the theory that a const!tutlonal right to be heard is cut off by the use of the emergency procedure. APPARENT HANDLING TO BE FOLLOWED ON THIS ORDINANCE: a. Passage as an emergency on the 4th day of 4th day of November 1970. b. A hearing has been requested on the ordinance (and apparently on the subject matter of the ordinance), and has been placed on the agenda for the 18th day of November 1970. 5. ARGUMENTS: I would argue that the right n~ public presentation on this ordinance will not be cut-off for the following reasons: a. The hearing scheduled for 18 November 1970, before the Council, has effectively treated the ordinance as a non-emergency ordinance. b. It might be best, in view of any discussion that would be handled on 18 November 1970 to handle the ordinance in the fashion of a non-emergency ordinance, after hearing such presentations as might be made. 6. PROCEDURE: The Council~proceed as follows: a. Move to amend the passage in final form and the declaration of emergency or ordinance 188A-?0. b. In the event the matter wag resclnded, which would probably occur after some hearings, then addlt~oz~al hearings could be under- taken. If additional hearings were not deemed necessary, then the ceuncll could Just act as it saw fit. c. There is always the poss~.billty that the Council could again declare an amergency and have the ordinance be immediately effective; or it could let the emergency clause be deleted and then the ordinance would, if passed, become effective 90 days ~po~ttng ~letln board of the City. ¢ ~y Attorney City FROM. DATE 23 NOV 70 CITY oF KENA! P. O. BOX ~80 . KENAI, A~ASKA . PHONE 283.7~3~ City Attorney REFERENcFOrdlnanae 188-A-70 After the action of the Council on 18 November 1970, I was a llttle su~p~ised that they did not make a motion to reselnd or make any ef£o~t. Therefore, to antioipate potential lawsuit, I would strongly recommend the £ollowlng: 1, Make clippings of all news articles in both Cheechako and Courier to be certain of announcement of public Information in this particular case. was posted. SIGNED ,DATE,