COMING BEFORE CITY COUNCIL - PROPOSED SEALED BID PROCESS OF APPROVING ALCOHOL LICENSE

The City Sioux Falls Government is advocating for the Closed Bid Process of rewarding On-Sale, and Off-Sale Alcohol License, prior to approving, and accepting new establishments within the City of Sioux Falls.

Nearly, exactly from the point of one year, from the date the City Council amended, and adopted it's lottery system, the City Government is now wishing to convince the city council to accept the new rules for rewarding new establishments, each year upon the city population increases, and by state law, we are rewarded a number of new possible establishments...

Upon Notice:

The City Government must cause for public notice to published to the public announcing the # of licenses available, the time, place, and manner of which the process of accepting bids accepted, and the date of the final reward process;

Each applicant submitting a bid, must use a form prescribed by the city, must provide the location of which the on or off-sale alcohol establishment will be located, prior to the date of which the city's date of which bids are to be accepted;

The date, of which the bids are to be opened, the city government will publically list them in subsequent order, with the highest bid first, to the lowest bid accepted - no bid can be less than the minimum fee codified by ordinance;

The persons of whom submitted the highest bids would be issued the license based on conditions accepted by suitable person, and suitable location, according to state laws, but not limited to time, place, and manner of such locations;

If no conditional use permit is required, the highest bid simply wins out, but if a conditional use permit is required, other procedures are required prior to the license being issued, let alone causing a public hearing to be heard before the planning commission, let alone the city council for final approval;

If the conditional use permit is not accepted, the next highest bidder(s) are then issued the license, causing the public hearing to be heard before the planning, and city council once again;

After all final decisions of rewarding on or off-sale alcohol licenses have been made, the winning establishments become accepted, and approved pending any such referred petitions that may sought to challenge the winning locations.

While the City Government is choosing to change the procedure of accepting new on and off-sale alcohol licenses, nothing has changed - the residents of the city has simply delegated their authority to the "City" it must request up front, the following information prior to any such license being rewarded:

Provide the Name, and Prospective Information of the Licensee;

Business Name, and Prospective on the Legal Address of the Establishment;

Security Management Plan to Provide to the City a detailed report of how the licensee is to handle violations, manage the establishment, provide for the safety, welfare, and security of the patrons, and conform to the laws, codes, and rules;

Provide for a Non-Refundable License Fee;

And, since all things stem from those who settle, and claim the land, this means, the overall authority lies with those who own, control, and have a vested interest in the "land".

Landowner(s) - an individual or entity having legal ownership of land. The term landowner may also include all forms of collective ownership including joint tenants, tenants in common, and life tenants.

As a group of people, the landowners living upon the land begin to form a township, or a collective territory of which they tend to form an organized territory of a local government unit, of which they create a polis (city), in order to administrate, and establish a religious center of which the people agree to become part of a citizenhood, by taking an oath to, and by a set of rules, codes, and vows to conduct activity as one group of people in order to best manage the public needs of the "land area".

Could it be, by allowing the applicants of submitting, and competing for the highest bid be a formality to present to the people, and their public officials how serious they are of not only doing business within their city, but to convince the people themselves of how serious they are at providing alcohol services to the people of the city, let alone, their commitment to the rules adopted.

By allowing the 'free market' to drive the cost, the investment, and character of the men, and women wanting to go into business of providing on-sale, or off-sale alcohol services to the community, you are now further, defining the 'character' of the person(s), and at the same time, redefining, and enforcing moving forward, a more suitable person(s), and locations moving forward.

Are we, as a community, redefining what we expect a person of character to become in the spirit of selling alcohol today?

The word comes from the Greek kharakter for “engraved mark,” “symbol or imprint on the soul,” and “instrument for marking,” and can be traced further back to the words for “to engrave,” “pointed stake,” and “to scrape and scratch.” In the 17th century, the word came to be associated with “the sum of qualities that defines a person.” These qualities included a man’s intellect, thoughts, ideas, motives, intentions, temperament, judgment, behavior, imagination, perception, emotions, loves, and hates; and furthermore - All of these components, William Straton Bruce writes in 1908’s The Formation of Christian Character, “go to the shaping and coloring of a man’s character. They all have some part in producing that final type of self, that ultimate habit of will, into which the man’s whole activities at last shape themselves.”

While, we are beginning to place more emphasis on what is to become a more suitable location - suitable always means appropriate for a certain person or situation, sometimes it is not based on fact but merely a matter of opinion.

One side effect to this procedure, may simply be, at what costs to the community, does the 'high stakes of investment" play on the costs of doing business within the alcohol community?

But, if the greater importance to the Community, today known as the City of Sioux Falls is to restrict, and control, more aggressively, the person, the location, and the suitable character and location of such, then at what price do we place on the greater importance of accepting those of whom 'we' choose to provide alcohol to the people of Sioux Falls tomorrow?

If as a growing, and vibrant community, we wish to change, and adapt to a growing industry, one of which today also holds our "state lottery system" - we then have the greater responsibility of choosing where to place these types of establishments today.

That fact alone, then, should allow us as a community to redefine in both morality, and virtue, and by means of responsibility, how we wish to perceive who or what is to be deemed suitable, based on the character of a group of persons or locations.

Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character. – Heraclitus of Ephesus

On June 13th, 2023 - at Carnegie Town Hall, your Mayor and City Council will create this public discussion, on just how 'we' as a community wishes to steer, drive, and redefine how we choose the people, the locations, and type of establishments we choose to accept as a community, this may be an interesting conversation, if the goal is to place greater emphasis on morals.