Published: March 25, 2008 11:49 am            

Corbin to update alcohol ordinance

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

An proposed amendment to Corbin’s alcohol ordinance got its first reading Monday at a special meeting of the city commission Monday.

The amendment will make several updates to the current ordinance, including language that will help police enforce hours that restaurants can serve alcohol. The ordinance will clearly state that people not involved in the cleaning and “closing up” of a restaurant have to vacate after serving hours.

The ordinance will also ban anything that is not “normal to restaurant operations,” which in the ordinance means activities such as wrestling and wet T-shirt contests.

At the meeting, Corbin Police Chief Carson Mullins said restaurants would still be able to have pool tables, dancing and karaoke under the amended ordinance.

Included in the ordinance is a requirement for newly hired wait staff to have 90 days of training versus the 60 days that is currently required. Mullins said this would give new staff the ability to understand serving alcohol better.

Mullins said all of these changes were necessary to make it easier to enforce the alcohol laws.

“These amendments are sort of dressing up the ordinance. It was passed four years ago, so it needs to be updated so that it explains things further,” Mullins said.

Mullins told the council that in recent months the police have had problems with establishments that would sell alcohol long after the kitchens had been closed.

The ordinance passed with unanimous commission approval. It will receive its second reading on the April 14 meeting before becoming law.

The commission also had its first reading of an ordinance authorizing the mayor to obtain a line of credit of up to $5 million with the Kentucky League of Cities for the expo center project.

Mayor Willard McBurney said that the line of credit was “a precaution” by the city in case the state doesn’t continue its funding of the expo center.

“Basically this is a window for us to operate with — just in case we lose funding. This credit will allow us to continue the project without having to slow it down,” McBurney said.

The commission also had the first reading of an ordinance approving another four-year agreement with the Whitley County Fiscal Court concerning the city’s share of the occupational tax. Corbin currently receives 75 percent of the one-percent occupational tax collected within Corbin’s Whitley County city limits.

Four police officers also received promotions during the meeting. Officer Bill Rose became a Sergeant, Glenn Taylor rose to the rank of Corporal, Robbie Hodge became a Patrolman First Class, and Jason Moore became a Corporal.

        

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