Leader Staff
Shawano officials Tuesday lifted the limit on the number of establishments that could hold Class B beer licenses in the city.
A Class B license allows the sale and consumption of beer on the premises, such as a tavern or restaurant.
The city previously had an ordinance stating there could be no more than 10 licensees operating at one time, but there was some apparent confusion over which licenses applied to the quota.
City Administrator Brian Knapp said some beer and liquor combination licenses that were granted in the past should have been counted but were not.
“We were out of compliance with our own ordinance,” Knapp said.
City Clerk-Treasurer Karla Duchac said there are already 10 establishments operating in the city that were counted toward the Class B beer license quota.
However, an application is pending for an 11th at the Four Seasons hotel, formerly the Kiryat, at 201 N. Airport Drive.
The Shawano Common Council voted at a special meeting Tuesday evening to amend the ordinance covering Class B beer licenses to eliminate the quota.
Mayor Lorna Marquardt said the council decided that since there was no requirement that the city have a quota, there was no need to maintain one. Any additional beer licenses would still need council approval before they could be granted.