Riverton City Council approves new Sunday hours for liquor license holders on third and final reading

(Riverton, WY) – The Riverton City Council approved an ordinance on third and final reading Tuesday extending the allowable Sunday hours of operation for local liquor license holders.

The ordinance allows liquor license holders to serve alcohol between 6 a.m. and 12 a.m. on Sundays. 

Revisions

Originally, the ordinance proposed allowing liquor license holders to sell alcohol between 6 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Sundays to match the allowable hours on the other days of the week.

That proposed timeframe was shortened on second reading last month to allow alcohol sales between 10 a.m. and midnight on Sundays instead, and it was modified again on third reading this week to the final 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. language.

Councilmember Rebecca Pierson-Lewis proposed the third reading amendment during a regular council meeting Tuesday, citing a letter she received from local restaurant owner Amanda Henry, who wrote that her Sunday morning customers “consistently express a desire to enjoy popular brunch beverages like mimosas and Irish coffees – options we cannot legally provide under the current city ordinance.”

Currently, liquor license holders can only serve alcohol between noon and 10 p.m. on Sundays – restricted hours that “create an uneven playing field” since “competitors in nearby jurisdictions can serve alcohol during peak brunch hours,” Henry said in the letter, which Pierson-Lewis read out loud during the meeting.

“Brunch is a growing trend, and alcohol – particularly mimosas, bloody marys, and Irish coffee – is a key part of that experience for many customers,” Henry wrote. “By prohibiting sales before noon, Riverton’s ordinance limits my restaurant’s revenue potential during our busiest Sunday hours. … Customers who want a full brunch experience may choose to dine elsewhere, potentially outside Riverton, taking their dollars with them.”

In her letter, Henry also responded to opponents of the ordinance who “might argue that extending Sunday hours would worsen alcohol-related problems in Riverton.”

“There is no evidence to support this,” Henry wrote. “Riverton’s alcohol issues aren’t tied to early Sunday sales. … The city’s challenges (with) public intoxication stem from broader issues – not the specific hours of sale.”

Councilmember Mike Bailey agreed that, “no matter what the hours are,” people who are addicted to alcohol “are going to abuse alcohol.”

He also pointed out that “we have existing ordinances (in place) against serving people that are already intoxicated, which I feel need to be strictly adhered to.”

“We need to make sure we’re enforcing (those laws),” Bailey said. “That would be the only thing that I know of that would help solve the problem.”

Councilmember Karen Johnson echoed those comments later in the meeting, stating that the city should “take a strong line and give our police department full authority without any restrictions to fully enforce what is already on the books.”

She also suggested an increase in the alcohol tax would help address the issue – an idea that several community members supported this week – but Mayor Tim Hancock noted that “we do not have the authority (as) the City of Riverton to be able to change the taxation model for any sort of alcohol sales.”

5-2 vote

The council voted 5-2 on Tuesday to approve the amended ordinance, with Johnson and Councilmember Kyle Larson voting “no.”

Councilmember Karla Borders voted in favor of the ordinance, but she said it was not an “easy” decision.

“I have gone back and forth,” she said. “But I’m going to go on the side of personal choice. I think people need to be personally responsible for the decisions they make. We can’t make the whole entire town responsible because a few make bad decisions. And I don’t think it’s fair that we ask our business owners to lose out on potential income because a certain number of people can’t handle their alcohol and they make bad decisions. For me, it’s a choice about freedom and personal responsibility.”

The council passed another ordinance on third and final reading Tuesday requiring all staff who serve alcohol in local liquor establishments to complete a state-approved alcohol server training program. 

The training must be completed within three months of obtaining a liquor license or accepting employment at a licensed business, the ordinance states, and “proof of completion of an approved alcohol server training of all licensees, managers and supervisory personnel, and staff who serve alcoholic beverages shall accompany an application for renewal of an annual liquor license.”

In addition, the ordinance says “every license holder shall maintain a server training record for all alcohol server staff including their date of hire and proof that each has successfully completed the alcohol server training required (to) maintain their server training certification,” and that record must be made “available for inspection by law enforcement officers or officials of the City of Riverton at any time that the licensed establishment is open, or by appointment.”

For more information, call the City of Riverton at (307) 856-2227.