St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has inaugurated a revamped process that stands to benefit small business owners in the city by simplifying the way they obtain liquor licenses, a move aimed at reducing bureaucracy and helping these businesses thrive without the formerly required exhaustive petition of neighborhood support. The new legislation, BB 60, sponsored by Alderman Bret Narayan, eliminates the need for collecting signatures from local property owners, residents, and nearby businesses, which was once a prerequisite for securing a temporary 90-day liquor license.
"I opened a restaurant in the ‘90s, so I know firsthand how much work it takes to run a small business and how much time we spent going door to door collecting the signatures we needed to get a liquor license," Mayor Jones said, underlining the importance of this legislative change for small businesses which can now focus on their growth and on serving the community with suitable lightness; the initiative also reflects a trust in the businesses to prove their worthiness of a permanent license, according to a release on the City of St. Louis official website.
The streamlined application process now in place allows established applicants in good standing to renew their temporary license once and, after six months, they are eligible for a full license upon the expiration of the temporary one, with both the initial and the full license requiring a public hearing before the Excise Commissioner. This measure continues to involve the community in the decision-making through displays of publicly posted signs in neighborhoods where license applicants are based, as well as online notices for public hearings, whereby community members can keep abreast of updates by scanning a QR code available on said signs or online notifications.
Ensuring the public remains an integral part of the process, the Excise Division notifies local residents about hearings, collects verification that no taxes are due, and handles the hearings that determine the approval of the licenses; applicants must then visit the License Collector’s Office to pay for their licenses, which are granted initially for 90 days and can be renewed one time before a final determination hearing sets the stage for an annual license issuance, said the St. Louis Mayor's Office.
To apply for a liquor license, small business owners can initiate the process online by visiting the designated web page, with step-by-step instructions listed, which include paying application and postage fees, posting public notifications, and attending required hearings. The city's open data platform will also reflect these application submissions, adding transparency to the proceedings. Contact information for further inquiries can be found on the City's announcement page, provided by Rasmus Jorgensen, Deputy Director of Communications for the Office of the Mayor.
