By Adam Studzinski
BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington Liquor Commission has recommended increasing the city’s liquor license fees for the first time since 1982.
The recommendation from Tuesday’s meeting would also implement a fee for video gambling machines.
Under the proposal, liquor license fees in the city go up by 20 percent next year, then 15 percent a year for two years after that. Commissioner Sue Feldkamp said it’s obvious the fees need to be increased.
“I want it to be done easily. I know that it’s hard for a licensee to have to pay everything off,” she said.
The recommendation for video gaming machines is for $500 per machine. Proceeds from that fee would go towards paying for police and fire pensions. Mayor Tari Renner noted Bloomington is the only metro area without this type of fee.
“It’s also a concern to us that we have more video poker machines,” said Renner. “I talked to a mayor in Des Moines, obviously in a different state, but having some of the similar kinds of issues and they just put a total ceiling on them. I would prefer not to go down that path at all, for a lot of reasons.”
Both proposals need approval from the city council.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at adam.studzinski@cumulus.com.
