Posted: 12/22/04
By Clark Natalie
A portable pizza oven wonít get you a Sunday liquor license in Harris. At the public hearing for the Sunday liquor license ordinance last week, the discussion centered on what type of establishment would qualify.
The state statue indicates that the applicant must have a working kitchen, such as a grill, deep fryer, etc.
At the Dec. 16 meeting, it was noted that a microwave or pizza oven would not qualify. The applicant must be able to prepare a meal, not just warm one up, it was noted.
Mayor-elect Rick Smisson asked how this would be monitored. City Attorney Kevin Shoeberg said the application would have questions about the kind of food service provided by the applicant.
If the applicant does not have a full working kitchen, the City would not issue a Sunday permit.
After discussion by the council, it was decided that the license would run concurrently with an establishmentís regular liquor license. This would mean on an annual basis, there would be only one application, one review, one check.
It was also established that the hours for Sunday sale of liquor would be from 11 a.m. to midnight. This is less than allowed by the state statue, but what the council felt would work best in Harris.
The other item on the agenda was to approve the purchase of a new truck for the city maintenance department.
A review of the motion that was passed in July indicated that a used vehicle was to be located. The only used vehicle that met the specifications was a 1999 vehicle for $36,000. A new vehicle was located for $42,000. The advantage of going with a new vehicle is that it would be under warranty.
As for paying for the vehicle, $12,000 was allocated in the 2003 budget, and the same in the 2004 budget.
Also, the city recently received $8,000 in restitution from the former clerk. It was decided to approve the purchase of the new truck, with a down payment of $22,000, funding the balance with an equipment certificate.
The amount required to repay the certificate has been included in the 2005 budget and can be included in future budgets.
With that, Mayor Richard Hanson adjourned his last city council meeting under his present term.
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