The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Eleven Steamboat Springs liquor establishments garnered a 100 percent compliance rate in the Steamboat Springs Police Department’s latest checks Monday. Businesses who passed included two that failed a round of checks in December.

“It’s a good thing, especially since we don’t have a liquor license authority,” Police Capt. Joel Rae said, referring to the Steamboat Springs City Council’s February decision to delegate its liquor compliance duties to a hearing officer. “It’s a real good thing.”

The city has received four proposals for the hearing officer position, City Clerk Julie Jordan said. Rae and Jordan have reviewed the proposals. Jordan said she plans to make a recommendation to City Council on May 20.

The businesses that passed Monday’s checks were Azteca Taqueria, The Tap House, 8th Street Steakhouse, Lupo’s, Steamboat Discount Liquors, Pioneer Spirits, Kum & Go on Anglers Drive, Market on the Mountain, Central Park Liquors, Mahogany Ridge Brewery & Grill and Fiesta Jalisco. The city had hoped to check more establishments, but many were closed.

“Basically, this is what was open,” Jordan said.

Pioneer Spirits and the Anglers Drive Kum & Go failed the December checks, along with the Three Saddles Bar at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort. Businesses who fail alcohol compliance checks — where police officers partner with underage people that attempt to buy alcohol — are subject to fines and license suspensions or revocation. Sanctions formerly have been handed down by the City Council, acting as the local liquor license authority, but failing businesses now are caught in limbo until the city hires a hearing officer.

The four proposals received by the city came from local attorneys David Nagel and Lynaia South Orr of Feldman, Nagel & Associates, Tammy Stewart, Jim Moylan and Paul Sachs. Sachs is the city’s municipal court judge.

“There would be no conflict,” Jordan said of Sachs’ ability to conduct liquor hearings.

The City Council decided to remove itself from all but the administrative duties of liquor licensing to avoid lengthy and sometimes controversial quasi-judicial proceedings. Former councilman Paul Strong believes that was a wise decision.

“It started becoming an issue both of time and I’m not necessarily sure it needs to be in the political forum,” Strong said. “We had started talking about it when I was still on council, and I thought that it made a lot of sense. Council needs to try to start focusing on policy issues and big-picture items.”

Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge and Glenwood Springs are some mountain-resort communities that already have separated liquor licensing from their councils. Strong said Breckenridge officials have told him it was “one of the best things they ever did.”

For the past two years, a Colorado Department of Revenue grant to combat underage drinking has funded the city’s alcohol compliance checks. The grant expired Wednesday. Jordan said the city will continue to do compliance checks with its own resources, although they may be less frequent.

“The city felt this has been a successful program and the community establishments really stepped up,” Jordan said. “We just want to make sure the success remains in the community.”

— To reach Brandon Gee, call 871-4210

or e-mail bgee@steamboatpilot.com