6 days Ago By Jocelyn Rowley
In a bid to boost efficiency, enhance public safety and comply with a new state law, the Loveland City Clerk’s office wants to make some changes to the city’s liquor and tobacco licensing regulations. On Tuesday, the City Council will take a vote on the proposed amendments, which consolidate both sets of rules under a single title in the municipal code.Many of the alcohol-related amendments are in response to Colorado Senate Bill 24-231, passed last April by the General Assembly and signed into law in May.
Among other things, the law introduced new license categories, expanded the rules for alcohol tastings and gave local authorities the option to process more applications without a hearing.Loveland’s proposed liquor license amendments incorporate the aforementioned updated standards, but leave others out, such as allowing biennial license renewals. Loveland will still require renewal on an annual basis.
Other proposed changes go beyond the new state regulations. Chief among these is a new general provision requiring both liquor and tobacco license holders to “immediately” report any unlawful activity or “disturbances” on their premises and post a sign warning customers of the rule.When it comes to updated tobacco regulations, the City Clerk wants to give the city more tools to enforce the rules, including more compliance checks or inspections of the sales premises, if warranted.
Also proposed are new rules for appeals hearings and changes in license expirations from the end of the calendar year to one year after issuance.After voting on the code amendments, the City Council will consider new terms of an intercity loan between Loveland Water and Power and the Downtown Development Authority that halves the amount.In October 2023, the City Council approved a $1 million intercity loan between utility and the DDA, which Chief Financial Officer Brian Waldes at the time called a tool to allow the downtown organization to use its tax-sharing revenues “more effectively.
”On Tuesday, the City Council will consider a new loan amount of $500,000. The presentation in the agenda packet also notes that the city and the DDA are exploring options for using a private lender to facilitate the loan.Per Colorado law, the authority is required to use its revenue for debt service only and is prohibited from using it for operational expenses or to pay vendors.
Using the intercity loan for DDA expenses creates a debt obligation that it can repay legally.Under the terms of the arrangement with the city, money borrowed from the utility will be deposited into a special project fund, which the DDA can access only with approval of the CFO and only if the amount requested is able to be repaid immediately by DDA’s tax revenues.How to participateThe Loveland City Council will meet at 6 p.
m. Tuesday in the City Council chambers at the Municipal Building, 500 E. Third St.
Comments from members of the public will be accepted in person as well as over Zoom at both meetings.Those wishing to join by Zoom can use the ID 975 3779 6504 with a passcode of 829866, according to the meeting agenda.The meeting will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 16/880, Pulse TV channel 16 and streamed through the city’s website at lovgov.
org/tv.Tuesday’s agenda packet can be found through the Loveland City Council’s website at lovgov.org/CityCouncil or at cilovelandco.
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