 - The Riverton City Council passed an ordinance on first reading this week extending the hours of operation allowed for alcohol-serving establishments on Sundays.){kind=link}
(Riverton, WY) – The Riverton City Council passed an ordinance on first reading this week extending the hours of operation allowed for alcohol-serving establishments on Sundays.
Currently, those establishments are allowed to serve alcohol between noon and 10 PM on Sundays – a limited schedule compared to every other day of the week, when sales are allowed between 6 AM and 2 AM.
Licensee request
City staff said they met with local liquor license holders last fall to discuss renewals, permitting, local safety initiatives, and more – and to allow the licensees to ask questions about liquor laws and general requirements.
During that conversation, staff said some of the liquor license holders asked the city to consider extending their Sunday service hours, which currently limit their ability to offer morning beverages for Sunday brunch, accommodate tournament schedules, and serve patrons who want to watch Sunday sporting events, for example.
In response, staff said they researched liquor laws in other municipalities in Wyoming and found that “most allow uniform hours of service throughout the week, including Sundays.”
“To support local businesses and align with these municipalities, staff proposes amending the ordinance to allow Sunday service hours consistent with the rest of the week,” Administrative Services Director Mia Harris said in a memo to the council this week.
Split vote
Councilmembers Kyle Larson and Karen Johnson voted against the ordinance this week, with Johnson pointing out that “Fremont County – and Riverton in particular – has an alcohol consumption problem.”
She shared statistics from the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police showing that alcohol was a factor in 76.81 percent of custodial arrests in Fremont County in 2023 – well above the state average of 55 percent.
The WASCOP report also showed that arrests for public intoxication accounted for 29.9 percent of arrests in Fremont County that year, compared to 13.35 percent statewide.
“We need to be making decisions that decrease alcohol consumption and criminal activity associated with that,” Johnson said. “I see zero reason to extend the hours and get more opportunities for alcohol consumption in our community.”
Councilmember Mike Bailey countered, however, that it’s already illegal for local liquor license holders to serve alcohol to people who are visibly intoxicated.
Plus, he said, “people still have free will to do what they want, and if they want to get plastered,” the Sunday schedule for liquor license holders won’t stop them.
“(They can) just buy extra on Saturday night so they have some for Sunday morning,” Bailey said. “I don’t think (this ordinance is) going to change the overall consumption.”
Councilmember Karla Borders pointed to testimony from one local liquor license holder who said patrons often leave her establishment when it closes on Sundays and drive to a bar outside of town to continue drinking alcohol, potentially posing a safety risk for area motorists.
If those patrons were able to stay in Riverton, Borders added, “we have a little bit of control” over the situation, because “we can call a cab for someone, (and) we’ve got WRTA doing complimentary rides home if someone’s intoxicated.”
Later, she asked whether the city could let liquor license holders request permits to extend their hours on certain Sundays to accommodate special events, but Harris said that move, while possible, would come with an “administrative burden,” because there would likely be “a lot of special permits issued should you decide to do that.”
Server training
The council also passed an ordinance on first reading this week requiring that all staff who serve alcohol in local liquor establishments complete a state-approved alcohol server training program.
The ordinance says the training must be completed within three months of obtaining a liquor license or accepting employment at a licensed business.
“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,” the ordinance states.
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.”
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,” according to the ordinance.
For more information, call the City of Riverton at (307) 856-2227.