Liquor Licenses: First Come, First Serve?

Regarding how to award liquor licenses, today's Oshkosh Northwestern argues that "the council should adopt a scoring system with agreed upon criteria to objectively rank requests for liquor licenses to make sure its future decisions appear less arbitrary."

I agree that some kind of reform of the process is necessary. A scoring system is certainly a possibility, but perhaps we could do something much simpler. I have in mind a "first come, first serve" process in which available licenses get distributed to according to an applicant's place on the waiting list. Here's how it could work:

1. A license becomes available.
2. The City Council/Clerk goes to the waiting list.
3. If the first applicant on the list is up to date on tax payments, has been given the stamp of approval by the police to operate an alcohol serving establishment, and (if the applicant only has an idea or concept rather than an already existing business) can demonstrate a viable business plan, that applicant would get the license.

I think such a process would minimize the arbitrariness of the process, ensure that neighborhood taverns could compete fairly for a license with great-sounding concepts or proposals that (on the surface at least) might carry greater economic impact, and would virtually eliminate the kind of American-Idol lite show the council has now conducted twice in the last few years.

A first-come, first serve procedure would frustrate those who believe that projects with alleged great economic impacts, even if the project is merely conceptual, should be given priority. The problem with that position, it seems to me, is that it virtually eliminates small, neighborhood businesses from competition for a license (unless they are lucky enough to have a Common Council in place like the present one; not the greatest Council ever perhaps, but the majority at least seem willing to give the "little" guys and gals out there a shot--no pun intended.).

I'm not completely sold on a first come, first serve process. Just throwing it out here for contemplation and discussion. I will probably put it on the agenda at the next council meeting under council member discussion items.