Madison liquor stores would have to get more personal information from keg-buying customers if a proposed law introduced to the City Council this week passes through the Council and the city's Alcohol License Review Committee.
The ordinance, proposed by Ald. Tim Bruer, District 14, the ALRC's chair, would require buyers of kegs, cases of beer, wine or wine coolers or more than one bottle of liquor to make payments in person at liquor stores, provide two forms of identification and sign a receipt stating the amount of kegs purchased before deliveries can be made. In addition, customers would have to be at the point of delivery and sign an additional receipt before they could take delivery of the goods.
Alcohol sellers would then be required to keep the receipts and make them available to the police and the ALRC, if needed.
Ald. Kent Palmer, District 15, an ALRC member, said the measure is intended to shift some responsibility from the liquor purveyor to the purchaser.
For example, according to Palmer, if a death or injury or a crime occurred in connection to a house party, the keg registration would make it easier for police and the city to investigate the case.
\If you're going to go to the beach, it's kind of nice to have a lifeguard there,"" Palmer said.
However, according to opponents of the measure, including Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, the new requirements would make obtaining liquor through delivery unnecessarily difficult for customers.
""I think it's totally unnecessary,"" Verveer said. ""It's a solution in search of a problem.""
Verveer added that he believes the registration requirement is unnecessary, as police currently do not often struggle in tracking down party hosts. Names on mailboxes, he said, are usually all officers need to figure out who is behind the organization of most parties.
Pat Machovec, owner of three Madison liquor stores, including Party Port, 2901 University Ave., criticized the proposed ordinance for its vagueness, adding that his stores already fulfill most of the requirements to be imposed.
""I think it's very vague,"" Machovec said. ""I'd like to see the ALRC come to the liquor store owners and ask for our ideas on how things can be policed.""
Palmer said he believes store owners should be supportive of the proposal, though.
""The idea is that they fear there is an extra level of administrative needs they'll have to go through,"" Palmer said. ""It could be a comfort for these folks.""
While the measure was introduced to the Council Tuesday evening, now, Palmer said, the City Attorney's Office must draft the wording of the proposal before it faces the committee, which may or may not occur before the ALRC's Nov. 14 meeting.
