River Falls council approves annual liquor and beer license renewals; council member recuses over Circle K ties

The River Falls Common Council on June 9 approved annual renewals for a broad list of liquor and beer licenses, including retail outlets and on‑premise establishments, after a public hearing and brief questions from council members.

Clerk White read the complete list of applicants into the record. The council approved multiple motions, each covering different license classes. Examples of licensees named and approved during the evening included Bob and Steve Store #4 and #6; Aldi (noted as store #49 in the packet); Circle K; Quick Trip Store #301 and Quick Trip Store #1104; Walgreens #10585; Luigi's Pizza; River Falls Baseball Council; and a long list of on‑premise establishments including American Legion Post 21, Bros Sports Bar & Grill, Emma's Bar, Junior's Restaurant and Tap House, Lazy River Bar & Grill, Mariachi Loco, Mel's Midtowner LLC, Nutty Squirrel, River Falls Golf Club, River Falls Moose Lodge, Shooters Pub, St. Croix Lanes, Streeters Bar & Grill, Swinging Bridge, Tarnation Tavern, and Westwind Supper Club.

A council member announced a recusal for at least one license because of employment with Circle K; the recusal was noted on the record without a roll‑call attribution in the transcript. Councilors asked whether the police chief had reviewed the renewal forms; the respondent on the record said he had no objections and stated he was "not aware of any incidents this year or last." The new agent called to the podium, identified only as Pat, confirmed possession of a responsible-server certificate and acknowledged the responsibilities and potential liability associated with the agent role.

Council moved and approved the license renewals by voice vote in a series of motions covering class A beer licenses, combination class A liquor and class A beer licenses, class B beer licenses, class C wine licenses, and combination class B liquor and class B beer licenses. No roll‑call tallies were read into the record; each motion was recorded as "carried" after the voice vote.

What happens next: Renewals will be issued contingent on meeting all licensing requirements at the time of issuance. Any future incidents or compliance problems would be handled through the usual enforcement process.