Council approves liquor license relief for Rochester restaurant and bar owners

The Rochester City Council voted Monday to temporarily overhaul its liquor license fees for nearly all of the city’s bars and restaurants, in an effort to give some relief to an industry hammered by Covid-19 restrictions. A late-added amendment to the measure, however, will keep two troubled downtown bars from cashing in.

Businesses with liquor licenses that were eligible to receive pandemic-related funding through the city’s license grant program will be able to get a grant equal to their total liquor license fee for 2020. Additionally, the motion includes a deferral option for businesses to pay their 2021 liquor license fees — originally due April 1, 2021 — by August 1. 

The 40 percent increase in liquor licensing fees — also originally set to go into effect on April 1, 2021 — has been postponed a full year. The city estimates the program will cost roughly $165,000, which will be partly paid through the city’s contingency fund.

That’s all that was in the original request for council action — but during discussion, Council Member Michael Wojcik introduced an amendment to bar any business shut down by Public Health for violating Covid-related restrictions from reaping the financial benefits of the council’s action. 

“We have some irresponsible players in this community,” said Wojcik. “I just don’t think taxpayers’ money should be going to those entities, and I think this is one thing we can do to make sure the limited dollars that we do have don’t go to those that make Covid-19 worse for us.”

Under the amendment, Dooley’s Pub and Legends Bar and Grill would be the two establishments unable to take advantage of the city’s moves. Both bars were ordered closed by Public Health in the fall after videos of packed bars and little to no mask-wearing emerged online. 

Council discussion on the amendment was mixed, with members expressing wariness until city attorney Jason Loos made a key clarification — only businesses that were involuntarily shut down by Public Health, not through a simple outbreak of Covid-19 among staff, would be subject to the amendment.

“Legally, I would have problems if we said any business that violated Covid-related laws,” said Loos. “That’s pretty difficult to enforce, but I think we’re on solid legal ground by saying, specifically, those entities that were shut down by the Department of Health for violating Covid-related regulations [could be excluded].”

The council voted 4-3 in favor of including the amendment, with Council Members Wojcik, Campion, Johnson and Palmer voting in favor. When it came time to vote on the motion itself (including all the info included earlier in this article plus the amendment), the council passed it 6-1. 

Council President Randy Staver was the only council member to vote against both the amendment itself and the final, amended measure — citing concerns over unequal enforcement of Covid-related restrictions.

“I would be very concerned about an equity issue here,” said Staver. “The businesses that were shut down, arguably, are the ones that got caught. There are quite a few businesses that could just as easily have been cited for violations. I would be very opposed to insert something that specifically identifies and chastises certain businesses.”

The council’s move comes as state lawmakers draw closer to sending aid of their own, nearing approval on a $216 million relief package for restaurants, fitness centers, and other establishments forced to close under Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency orders.

Next council to decide on library’s future

The council also reviewed plans to include a new, expanded library as part of a public-private project at the former Post-Bulletin site in downtown Rochester.

The 170,000-square-foot library is being pitched as part of a development that also calls for new condos, senior living units, and a hotel. The library portion alone would come with a $95 million price tag, according to an estimate provided to the council Monday.

At Monday’s meeting, council members mixed praise for the project design with concerns over cost before ultimately passing the decision along to the next council, which will include four new members in 2021.

“It is an impressive thing to see,” Council Member Patrick Keane said of the renderings presented to the council. “And it also a bit breathtaking then to see the numbers afterwards — because they are dramatic.”

Ryan Sommers, senior project designer for RSP Architects, said the new library — which would be double the size of the existing facility — would go beyond books and include collaborative and flexible spaces for meetings, along with technology hubs and a coffee shop.

Rendering by RSP Architects

The entrance to the library, to be located on the corner of First Street and Civic Center Drive, would be built adjacent to the Mayo Civic Center and would include a new pedestrian plaza.

If approved next March, construction on the project would begin by April with an anticipated completion of December 2023.

The library project, as proposed, would have an approximately 10 percent levy impact after factoring in capital costs, as well as operational costs such as increased staff and maintenance.

The development, however, faces some skepticism, including from Mayor Kim Norton, who on Monday said the city should continue to weigh all options — whether that is building on top of the existing facility, moving forward with the P-B site proposal, or something entirely different.

“I think all of those things need to be on the table,” said Norton. “I would be a little uncomfortable if this is implying that this particular option has some sort of special priority.”

CIty Administrator hired

Alison Zelms will take over as Rochester City Administrator on January 21, 2021 after coming to terms on a contract with the city.

The council approved the agreement on Monday after unanimously selecting Zelms for the job in a vote earlier this month. The decision also included input from the four council members-elect.

In becoming administrator, Zelms will be paid $190,000 per year to oversee a city with 940 employees and a 2021 budget of $472 million.

She is set to replace current city administrator Steve Rymer, who is leaving the position to be closer to family.

Monday’s meeting, by the way, also marked the final rendezvous for Council Members Wojcik, Bilderback, Staver and Johnson. The four city reps depart with 38 years of combined council experience.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.