StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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However, the Division now fi nds itself under additional pressure to maintain and increase sales, while likely facing ad- ditional budget cuts in the near future. As of May 2017, current fi scal year sales were down 0.84% from the previous year, and case sales were down 1.66%. Despite these challenges, the Divi- sion continues to build upon some of its most recent successes, and plans for new legislative and educational improvements that will take effect later this year. USHERING IN PIVOTAL LEGISLATION A key priority for the Division during the last fi scal year was to focus on legislation. Four committee bills ultimately passed and will take effect on July 1, 2017. Legislative development involved obtaining feedback from local licensing authorities, law enforcement agencies, various community organizations and the general public. The Division also worked closely with the Wyoming State Liquor Association (WSLA) in crafting the new legislative proposals. One of the biggest changes that will occur as a result of the new laws involves stricter regulations regarding "parked" licenses. In Wyoming, local licensing authorities issue liquor licenses, and each city has a limited amount of licenses avail- able (the total number is determined by the city's population as calculated in a population formula by statute). As a result, some individuals who currently have unused liquor licenses are simply holding onto them as future investments, hoping that they will appreciate over time. The current law allows permit holders to be non-operational for up to three years (the license must be renewed each year). A loophole lets licensees open a pseudo-business for a few months and then close it, au- tomatically resetting the three-year dormancy window. As a result, certain communities have fewer business with liquor licenses than their city allows, simply because the inactive licenses are being hoarded. A new bill was created specifi cally to address these license renewal issues. Tom Montoya, Chief of Enforce- ment and Compliance Manager for the Division, says the new legislation was inspired by community members who expressed frustration that active liquor licenses were being kept out of their cities. "With this new bill, the amount of time a license can remain inactive has been cut down to two years," Mon- toya explains. "It's possible to request a one-year exten- sion due to a special circumstance, like a fi re, but those requests will not be granted lightly. If the license isn't put to use, it will revert back to the local license authority." Other new bills focus on eliminating archaic language StateWays | www.stateways.com | July/August 2017 13 PHOTOS COURTESY OF JANELLE ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY IT Manager Scott Sheppard, Purchasing Manager Angie Lebeda, Senior Compliance Agent Kelly Hunt, Compliance Agent Jason Allen, Director of the Department of Revenue Dan Noble, Liquor Division Administra- tor Greg Cook, Wyoming State Liquor Association Executive Director Mike Moser, Compliance Manager Tom Montoya, Accounting Manager Arlis Bauer and Warehouse Manager Scott Workman.