Committee hears evidence after three convictions at Bennett O'Reilly's; owner points to new scanners and staff changes

The Judiciary and Administration Committee held a contested hearing Sept. 2 on whether to suspend or revoke the liquor license for Bennett O'Reilly's, 213 3rd Street South (Legistar 26-0879). Assistant City Attorney Gideon Wertheimer told the committee the bar recorded three convictions in the prior license year but that the city was not seeking revocation and would defer penalty to the committee.

"Bennett O'Reilly's had 3 convictions in the previous license year," Assistant City Attorney Gideon Wertheimer said. Police evidence presented by Sergeant Danny Mandujano said officers responding to a Dec. 5, 2025 incident observed several people who appeared underage and that "I believe a total of 7 citations were issued that night." Mandujano also described two later compliance-check failures and identified repeated employee violations recorded in the department's memorandum to the committee.

Owner Darren Householder described steps taken after the incidents, including buying multiple ID scanners and a subscription and moving to improved staff training and supervision. "I'm not sure there's a whole lot that I would do differently," Householder said, adding that two employees connected to the violations are no longer employed at the downtown location. Attorney Brent Smith asked the committee to weigh those corrective actions when deciding penalty; the city said prior practice has included 10-day suspensions for similar matters.

The committee did not issue a decision at the hearing. The chair said the committee will convene in closed session to consider the evidence and prepare a written report and recommendation, with a special meeting scheduled for Sept. 10, 2026, at about 5:30 p.m., and that the written recommendation will be provided to both parties before the full city council meeting that evening.