Oops! Beer sales slip by
Sunday ban went unnoticed by South S.L., but it's ended
The City Council suspended the ban on Sunday beer sales Thursday night after bar owners inundated city office with calls and complaints about the law, which went into effect Aug. 24 as part of an alcohol ordinance.
The ban prohibits the sale of light beers on Sundays but allows bar owners to sell hard liquor and mixed drinks.
"They just kind of slid it under the door," said Mickey Wimrow, manager of the Club House in South Salt Lake. "It just doesn't seem right, especially when you can buy hard alcohol but not just regular beer. There's nothing that makes sense about that."
But Mayor Wes Losser said the provision simply "got by" his office and the council without being noticed. The council will take a closer look at the Sunday ban in two weeks when council members decide whether to repeal the law.
"We just didn't catch it none of us did," he said. "It's just one of those things. We made a mistake."
Bar owners didn't catch the change either, Wimrow said, and only realized they were in violation when a letter was sent in early October reminding them that alcohol cannot be sold on election days until after the polls close.
That letter also mentioned the August enactment of the Sunday beer ban, she said.
City Attorney Dave Carlson, who drafted the Sunday beer ban, said he included the provision because he thought the city's previous alcohol ordinance had ineffectively tried to limit beer sales. The previous ordinance, he said, was hard to understand and limited beer sales during certain hours on Sunday.
"I guess there was just some confusion on our part. I interpreted them (previous ordinances) as an attempt to restrict sales of alcohol on Sunday," Carlson said. "I had made that more explicit because I felt like that was the original intent of the ordinance."
Now Carlson said he was wrong in that interpretation and expects the council to either strike the Sunday ban or reach a compromise with certain hours in which bars can't sell light beer on Sunday.
But Carlson added that he did inform the council of the beer ban and sent a letter to all tavern, pub and bar owners after the ordinance was approved. There were also two public meetings to discuss the ordinance, he said.
The ordinance has not been strictly enforced, he added.
"We haven't sent police around to the bars to see if they're serving beer on Sundays," he said.
E-mail: estewart@desnews.com
Comments
- 6.0 quake in China 10:43 a.m.
- Big Ben celebrates 150 years 10:42 a.m.
- North Korean cyberattacks? 10:39 a.m.
- China raises death toll from riots 10:37 a.m.
- 'Smart Home' block party in Provo 10:35 a.m.
- Man injured in Taylorsville stabbing 10:22 a.m.
- Dispose of old TVs 10:16 a.m.
- Man killed in motorcycle crash 10:16 a.m.
- Man pleads guilty in fatal crash 10:02 a.m.
- 16 killed in Somalia 9:23 a.m.
- Jazz brass debate Millsap match
- LDS seminary principal arrested
- 2 men cited on LDS plaza
- Jazz finances not quite so bleak
- HBO defends U. logo use in 'Love'
- Reactions on Boozer speculation
- Cash for Clunkers to get rolling soon
- Utahns among Texans' investors
- Man spots his stolen car
- Jazz rookies quiet Thunder youngsters
- LDS seminary principal arrested
219 - Jazz brass debate Millsap match
144 - Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
141 - Jazz talking Boozer trade?
137 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
123 - Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
95 - 2 men cited on LDS plaza
94 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
76 - Letters: Single-payer system best
75
As more and more dads are put out of work in this economy, I've been...
The photographs are mysterious, brooding, dark. They show dimples and...
to Mr. 9:52 Let's see if I have this correct. In order to show my compassion...
If this man was a teacher and wasn't Mormon the people on these boards would...
GM holds many US Military contracts, building vehicles such as the Humvee. ...
Does this mean they will be going back to the Countries they came from?
DUH! we do not tolerate inappropriate relations between adult males and...
53 Banks have failed this year, thousands more, including Utah banks, are on...
did a lot of good for a lot of folks. Unfortunately, his life will be forever...
Has Movsisyan said anything complimentary about RSL fans? If he has, I...
I won't comment at all on this case, since I don't know the details. But I'm...
If all the talk about moving Boozer is serious, then yes, Paul made a...


You can be the first to comment on this story.