WESTFIELD – The state Alcohol Beverage Control Commission is launching an effort to keep current the list of officers and directors listed on an alcohol license with the local license commissions and the state.
The ABCC sent a September 30, 2014 communication to the local license commissions requiring the local boards to have accurate data for social and fraternal clubs which have a license to serve alcohol and to use the license renewal process “to ensure that all officers and directors are registered with your board and the ABCC,” Licensing Director Denise Carey said at the Oct. 6 License Commission meeting. “I’m struggling with this. All of our clubs are incorporated and filed with the secretary of state’s office.”
The city’s License Commission is conducting a special meeting tonight to address issues identified in the ABCC communication. Compliance with the ABCC regulation could be expensive for local clubs because both the city and state assess a fee of $200 to change the listed officers and directors.
The issue is further complicated by the fact that the clubs all have different charters under which they operate, some with house committees, some with boards of directors, and others with trustees. Some of the clubs have two tiers of officers, one managing the licensed premises and the other managing the club building and property.
The liquor license is renewed on a calendar year cycle, while several of the clubs elect new officers annually, meaning that the club would have to pay $400 every year to change its license to reflect new officers.
Carey said that the question is which slate of officers should be listed on the license.
“My question to the ABCC is should it be the officers or directors listed in the corporate license filed with the Secretary of State since the corporation holds the license,” Carey said at the October meeting. “I’m trying to get the ABCC to approve that it should be the corporate officers.”
“Many of the listed officers on the licenses are dead,” Carey said. “I’ve requested the ABCC to provide local boards with its list of officers. The ABCC doesn’t want to see it changing every year.”
“We should bring the clubs in to tell them what they are going to have to do in the future,” Carey said. “This will not affect renewals this year, so we’ll have a whole year to clean it up.”
The special meeting is slated for 6 p.m. in room 315 of City Hall.
