Tuesday, December 15, 2009

City to tighten control over keggers?

Tonight the City Council began consideration of a proposal to tighten up controls on under-age drinking by a new ordinance that will place added responsibility (and liability) on anyone who buys beer by the keg.

Lori Kane addressed the City Council on behalf of the Community Partnership Coalition and told the Council that 45% of 8th Graders and 82% of seniors have consumed alcoholic beverages.

In Illinois it is a felony to serve a minor, but that doesn't seem to keep minors from getting the alcohol.

An ordinance being proposed for study by the Council would require a Woodstock liquor retailer to place an ID tag on each keg he delivers. The purpose would be to give law enforcement a way to track who purchased the keg (and tell them whom to ticket, if they suspect a law was broken involving alcohol and minors.).

A retailer would have to confirm the legal age of the purchaser, fill out an affidavit and affix an ID tag to the keg before delivering it. A purchaser has to affirm that he will not provide beer to minors or remove the key ID tag. Woodstock would provide the forms and the tags to the retailer.

Apparently, a customer who returned a keg without the ID tag would not get his deposit back. What else? Will the retailer be required to notify police that a keg was returned without the ID tag? Wait 'til that word gets around town.

The Liquor Commission is preparing to recommend to the City Council that liquor licensees not accept a U.S. Military ID card as valid identification for the purchase of alcohol. The reason? It is not "secure" identification and is too easily forged. Now that makes me feel really safe.

According to statements made tonight, the military favors such non-recognition of its ID cards for liquor purchases.

The City Council will consider changes to Woodstock's liquor laws on January 19.
Councilman Turner asked about the situation where the keg is purchased in, say, Crystal Lake. As initially written, it would be illegal to have that keg in Woodstock. Staff and the City Attorney agreed to re-work the proposed ordinance.

I had not intended to speak tonight, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tell our City Council that a keg ID tag is not going to stop minors from consuming alcohol in Woodstock. They just drink from bottles or cans or sneak in a keg without a tag.

4 comments:

Phil Guspott said...

The laws prohibiting alchohol consumption for "minors" under 21 is rediculous, especially for those folks 18, 19 and 20. Plain stupid, if you ask me... only pushes the issue of responsible drinking underground and causes more trouble than it prevents.

Gus said...

You're exactly right. Why not begin teaching responsible consumption of alcohol right in the home?

Does a kid wonder what it's like to get drunk? Great. Let him tank up at home, where he won't be on the roads or passing out in some friend's basement and found dead the next morning.

Better yet, where he can learn that he doesn't want a hang-over and how to control his drinking.

Dispel the myth early that it's "cool" to be a drunk.

Thanks for your comment.

Another Lawyer said...

Is serving a minor alcohol a felony in Illinois? Ummm, no.

Gus said...

It's not? That's what I get for repeating words spoken to the City Council on Tuesday night. Now I'll have to go back to my notes and hope I recorded who said it.

I wonder why those present who know the liquor laws (Mayor, City Manager, City Attorney) didn't correct to speaker...