SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Rule changes regarding liquor licenses are coming to Sioux Falls.
The city council passed a two-part ordinance Tuesday spearheaded by Councilor Christine Erickson.
First, the ordinance lowered the cost of getting a liquor license for full-service restaurants in an effort to spur development.
The fee stood at $260,000 before the ordinance. Originally Erickson proposed cutting the fee to roughly $155,000, but industry professionals said that wouldn’t be fair to businesses who had paid the steeper fee in the past.
Erickson amended the ordinance at Tuesday’s meeting, changing the fee to $192,360, a 26% reduction from the previous fee.
The second part of the ordinance temporarily gets rid of the waiting list for off-sale licenses, essentially putting applications on hold.
That gives the city some time to draw up rules aiming to combat a secondary market for licenses, where people are re-selling them for profit.
