Hard to swallow

Eliminating state liquor control agents would overwhelm already busy local police forces and remove an important support system for business owners, say area opponents of a $3.5 million state budget cut.

The House Budget Committee endorsed slashing the Liquor Control Division allocation as part of a $19 billion state budget for next fiscal year. The budget is expected to be considered by the House Tuesday when lawmakers return from their spring break.

Supporters say the cut would remove burdensome bureaucracy and free up money for alcohol and drug abuse treatment. Cape Girardeau police chief Steve Strong disagrees.

"I think it's ridiculous," he said. "I just can't see a valid reason for the proposal."

Budget committee member Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, is the primary supporter of the cut and said his intent was to eliminate enforcement agents while leaving just enough money to issue liquor licenses, from which the state collects about $30 million annually.

But enforcing the rules that go hand-in-hand with those licenses would be nearly impossible, said Don Pickard, local district supervisor for the state liquor control agency.

Police don't have the authority to enforce rules that don't have criminal penalties, such as allowing a minor to consume alcohol on a licensed premise. Other such rules regulate bookkeeping and employee conduct.

Bar owners react

There are approximately 150 license holders in Cape Girardeau, several holding multiple licenses.

David Freeman, co-owner of the Indigo Restaurant & Spirits on Main Street, said without state enforcement more responsibility will rest on the shoulders of local bar owners. Knowing there are penalties for violations is a powerful deterrent, he said, so liquor laws keep everyone in check.

And the threat of a plain-clothes liquor agent somewhere in the bar also helps bar owners keep their businesses in compliance.

"Nobody wants a fine or to be shut down," Freeman said. "The few drafts you pour for that minor aren't worth it."

Across the street, Jessica Robbins, general manager at Willy Jak's, said she hopes the current budget plan doesn't pass because local bar owners and employees would lose a valuable educational asset.

"The agents keep us well informed about the law," Robbins said.

State agents and local police work together holding training seminars for servers and other bar employees, she said.

Tammie Blattel, bar manager at Willy Jak's, said agents help to train bartenders in recognizing when to stop serving and how to tell real identification cards from fake ones.

Also, state agents cover a wide territory are more likely to be objective than local officers who might socialize at a particular club, Blattel said.

While the Liquor Control Division can draw from resources across the state and has the ability to work in plain clothes, local officers are familiar faces.

In less populated areas, enforcement would be uneven at best, Pickard said.

19-county area

Division 5, based in Cape Girardeau, has six agents. They cover 19 counties with more than 1,020 liquor license holders. Each must be inspected at least once a year, Pickard said.

District 5 includes the counties of Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Scott, Stoddard, Washington and Wayne.

Graham's amendment would transfer 67 employees from liquor control to a state agency in charge of drug and alcohol treatment programs. The department would be left with just $600,000 for the year and nine people on staff.

Graham has said he's unhappy with the way liquor control handles enforcement in his home district. And while he said local police departments could step in with the help of grants to help curb underage drinking, but Cape Girardeau Capt. Carl Kinnison said it's not that simple.

"It's like doing away with Missouri Conservation and asking the local police to patrol all the parks," he said. "There's no way we have the resources."

abuchanan@semissourian.com

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