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Effective immediately, every renewed alcoholic beverage permit for retailers is now good for two years instead of one year, excise officer Patricia Fleck advised the Alcohol Beverage Commission of Kosciusko County Thursday.
Permit fees must be paid annually and have been increased.
Additionally, any retailer, including clubs, can sell alcoholic beverages on Sunday without a separate Sunday license.
The changes are the result of HB1666. The legislation also calls for fee hikes and a change in fee distribution.
A one-way (beer sales only) retailer's or dealer's permit went up from $250 to $500 each year; two-way (beer and wine sales) retailer's or dealer's permit from $500 to $750; and three-way (beer, wine and liquor sales) retailer's or dealer's permit from $750 to $1,000.
The law also requires 34 percent of the permit fees for certain permits to be deposited in the enforcement and administration fund and 66 percent of the permit fees to be deposited in the state general fund. Prior to this legislation, 100 percent of the permit fees were deposited in the general fund. Thirty percent of the excise fund distributions will go to the enforcement and administration fund; 37 percent will be distributed to the state general fund; and 33 percent will be distributed to municipal governments.
The commission is required to publish notice of a new retailer's or dealer's permit and notice of investigation one time in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county where the permit is located.
Other fee increases include: a temporary bartender's permit hike of $1, from $4 to $5, tobacco certificate fees from $50 to $200 and the term of a certificate from one to three years; and hikes the fee for an employee's permit used to perform volunteer service from $5 to $15.
Fleck said she would attend a District 2 meeting with other excise officers and state commissioners and discuss, among other things, the definition of a grocery store and a convenience store.
Commissioner Elim Smith presented the city of Warsaw's resolution advising the state commission not to grant alcohol sales permits to convenience stores.
Alcoholic beverage permits renewed for two years with no violations were:
• Shaffner and Shaffner Enterprises Inc., 2519 E. Center St., Warsaw doing business as Ramada Plaza Hotel, Bruce J. Shaffner, Leesburg, president, and Steve E. Shaffner, Warsaw, secretary.
• T.O. Downtown, Inc., 205 W. Center St., dba Downtown, Kristi Boren, Warsaw, president, and Roger L. Clemens, Claypool, secretary.
• Con Inc., 101 W. Main St., Syracuse, dba Lil's Anchor Bar, Jim Conder, Syracuse, president, and Julianne Conder, Syracuse, secretary.
• Pure Pleasure Inc., 1039 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw, dba Pizza King, Patrick O'Connell Sr., Warsaw, president and secretary.
• Service Liquors, 108 S. Lake St., Warsaw, dba Service Liquors, Patricia Likens, Warsaw, president, and Edward R. Likens, Warsaw, secretary.
Shaffner and Shaffner Enterprises, Con, and Pure Pleasure's Sunday sales permit renewals were withdrawn because they are no longer necessary.
Homer's Hideaway co-owner Lynne Griffith appeared before the board saying fees for having six gambling devices on the property in April were paid.
Griffith, and her husband and Homer's co-owner, James Griffith, are in the process of transferring all the corporation's stock to Lynne. James has been convicted of felony charges and is is on probation. Felons may not hold an alcohol permit.
Next month the transfer of stock will be reviewed along with the the alcohol permit renewal.
ABC members are Gordon Vanator, Ken Johnson and Elim Smith.
