Liquor ordinance could be changed

Two supervisors hope to change part of Carson City's liquor license ordinance they say is unfair to businesses owners.

The city can fine business owners and revoke or suspend their liquor license if an employee is cited for selling alcohol to an underage decoy.

The ordinance is an affront to the justice system, Supervisor Shelly Aldean said.

The liquor board, made up of the board of supervisors and the sheriff, should not deny business owners their rights, she said.

"I really think it is a fundamental due process issue," Aldean said.

A revised ordinance, which would set discipline after the employee is convicted in court, not just cited, is scheduled to go before the liquor board next month, said Developmental Services Director Walt Sullivan.

The issue came up last week when Robin Williamson and Aldean asked the liquor board to wait on penalizing 7-Eleven business owner Dick Nollet for the three times within six months his employees were cited for selling alcohol to minors.

The two supervisors said the board should wait to decide on a penalty until Nollet's employees were tried in court.

The other four board members voted to suspend Nollet's license a week and fine him $1,500.

Nollet said in an interview that changing the ordinance would put more pressure on employees not to sell alcohol to minors. Punishments would be more fair with the proposed change that corrects the legal process, he said.

But Chief Deputy District Attorney Melanie Bruketta said the change could cause problems.

It would slow down the liquor board's actions and pressure the prosecutor of an employee's citation to think about the effect of a conviction on a business owner.

The current ordinance is also completely legal, she said, and separate administrative and criminal penalties exist in other areas of city and state government.

- Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.