Court rules against city in Brookings liquor case

BROOKINGS, SD (AP) – The South Dakota Supreme Court has ruled against the city of Brookings in a complaint about fees for
restaurant-only licenses.

The Brookings city council in 2008 had set the fee for those licenses at $1 per city resident, or $18,504 per license. Three bars filed a lawsuit claiming that state law requires the cost to be based on the most recent sale of a liquor license.

The Supreme Court in this week’s ruling upheld the opinion of a circuit judge who said that pricing the new license at far below market value would hurt those businesses already holding a liquor license.

Mayor Tim Reed tells the Brookings Register that he’s disappointed in the ruling and expects prices for restaurant-only liquor licenses to be set at about $100,000.

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2. Liquor license to undergo change
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4. Liquor store debates move
5. Council revokes pub’s license