Carroll County Board of License Commissioners Meeting - December 17, 2025
Carroll County Board of License Commissioners Meeting - December 17, 2025
The Carroll County Board of License Commissioners held its monthly open meeting on December 17, 2025, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the Reagan Room of the Carroll County Office Building in Westminster, Maryland. The board heard an informational discussion about a food trailer serving a Mount Airy brewery, approved a license transfer for Mount Airy Inn, reviewed administrative reports, and concluded with a violation hearing for Gateway Liquors.
Business Meeting: Food Trailer Arrangement at a Mount Airy Brewery
- The board heard from the operator of a custom-built, semi-permanent food trailer and a representative of the Mount Airy brewery about an arrangement where the trailer serves as the exclusive on-site food vendor for the brewery.
- The operator said the trailer was built in Georgia to fit the brewery site, arrived in April 2025, and has not operated anywhere else. The stated investment was about $100,000, including a $45,000 trailer shell and roughly $91,000 once the pizza oven and equipment were included. A permanent kitchen build-out was estimated at $225,000 to $250,000.
- The operator told the board that about 90 percent of the food sold from the trailer is consumed on the brewery premises, and that the food vendor management agreement with the brewery could be amended if the board required changes.
- Board members questioned whether a food trailer qualifies as a kitchen, noting that other licensees moving from a D to a B license have installed permanent kitchens. One commissioner said his research found nothing in state law, county code, or regulations prohibiting the arrangement.
- The operator said Mount Airy town officials were supportive and that a town roundtable on food truck rules was scheduled later that day. The board asked for a written response from the town, a copy of the food vendor agreement or lease, and landlord approval before any further action.
- No formal vote was taken on this item.
Case #6591 - Mount Airy Inn License Transfer
- This was an application to change the licensee from Miia Illiano to Gennaro Illiano for a Class B beer, wine, and liquor license for Mt. Airy Inn, LLC, t/a Mt. Airy Inn, 1401 S. Main Street, Mount Airy, in Election District 13.
- Gennaro Illiano testified that he is the 100 percent owner of Mt. Airy Inn LLC. The transfer is part of an ownership split with John Christopher Beck: Beck and Illiano each had 50 percent interests in Mt. Airy Inn and Twin Arch Tavern, and are dividing ownership so Illiano takes Mt. Airy Inn and Beck takes Twin Arch Tavern. A separate February hearing will remove Illiano from the Twin Arch Tavern license.
- The board received the application, menu, criminal background check, character references, SDAT and corporate information, sales agreement, financial and ownership information, driving record, and training certificate.
- Inspector Benfer reported no violations in the records and called Illiano a fit and proper person for the license.
- The board approved the transfer unanimously and voted to dispense with additional Rule 10 formalities.
Administrative Reports and Updates
- The board discussed an upcoming alcohol retailer or new-location event at the Carroll County Fire Employees Training Center on Kate Wagner Road, planned for June 17, 2026, with 8:30 a.m. refreshments and a 9:00 a.m. start.
- Staff explained a new license numbering system from Carroll County IT: each license will keep a permanent number, such as 7A-001, instead of receiving a new number every year. New numbers will be assigned when a license is transferred. The system replaces the old Excel and DOS tracking process and is backed up to the cloud.
- Compliance statistics were reviewed: there were 13 alcohol violations this year, up from 11 last year but still below prior years. Liquid Library was scheduled for a January hearing at 10:00 a.m. No hearings are currently on the January agenda.
Case #6592 - Gateway Liquors Violation Hearing
- The board heard a violation case against Namrata Basnet, licensee for NAM & RAM, LLC, t/a Gateway Liquors, 2977 Baltimore Blvd., Finksburg, for sale of alcohol to a person under 21.
- Inspector Bill Ledley testified that during a November 6, 2025 compliance check at about 5:00 p.m., a 19-year-old volunteer bought a six-pack of Corona Extra and was not asked for identification. The only employee on duty, Anuradha Rowell, admitted the mistake, said she knew better, and agreed to attend a diversion program. A follow-up check on December 12, 2025, passed.
- Rowell, who is TIPS and TAM certified and has about 12 years of restaurant experience, testified that the sale was an isolated mistake and apologized. The licensee and a mentor or support person spoke about the employee's character, the store's financial struggles, and the owner's efforts to support immigrant families in Carroll County.
- The board noted that this was the second underage-sale violation at the location after a $400 fine at a prior hearing, and warned that future violations could lead to larger fines, suspension, or revocation.
- The board found the licensee culpable and imposed a fine of $800, payable within 30 days of official notice. The motion passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Case #6591: License transfer to Gennaro Illiano for Mt. Airy Inn approved.
- Case #6592: Gateway Liquors found culpable; $800 fine imposed.
- Food trailer matter: board requested additional documents and made no decision.
- Next regular meeting: January 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the same room.
Meeting Transcript
A young boy passed away and we felt you know with everything going on we we we closed for the day. Um there wasn't any flooding by us, but there was some power issues and stuff. So um typically we wouldn't like right now, even with the weather right now, we're open. Um and that was gonna be my next question. You plan like if it's bitter cold outside, you're still gonna be. Yeah, so we uh we're actually working on bringing some makeup air that's tempered into the trailer to make it a little bit more comfortable. We do have heat and air conditioning in there, but with the hood, the hood pulls a lot of air out and brings in cold. Yeah, so we're working on familiar with it. Make it a little bit more comfortable for the guys, but they're they're hanging tough and they're yeah, we're we're open and doing well. So, how much um storage do you think you have in your freezer and your fridge to say like how many meals you can serve on one storage full of trailer? Uh I would say, I mean, we've we've never had an issue. Um we thankfully we have a great relationship with our food vendors with Savile and Capital C board, where if we ever had an issue where we're running low on something, they send a small van pretty quickly. Um we when we built out the trailer, we made it so that we have enough refrigeration to get through um a day and a half uh but there's times we were able to get through two days. We don't like to have non-fresh food, so we bring it in very often. Almost daily. It is literally almost daily. Yes. So what is your lease look like between each other? Is it a term lease? Is it a so it's a it's a it's a food vendor management agreement we have in place and not an actual lease. It basically gives us the right to be the exclusive food vendor for the building. Um so if if Billy has an event, uh we we do the catering for it. Um and we're able to do that from the food trailer and also do some catering out of our deli, which is only 15 minutes away if they want subs. Um but there it just coincides with their lease. There really isn't a term per se. Um we you know, we can amend that agreement um if this is something that we have to do to get the liquor license. Um we're both in this for the long haul, so um you know we're we're open to suggestions if if something needs to be in there, we can easily amend it. Yeah, because I just I I you know things are great now. I just wonder if something should go south and then all of a sudden you pull out and then they don't have the capability. So we've had other licensees that went from a D to a B or a B or and they all put kitchens in. Um and I I know for from personal experience it's a huge expense, but I just in my mind a food truck is not a kitchen. And I don't know across the board how that would look moving forward if we were like, oh yeah, sure, a food truck's kitchen. Um, you know, irregardless of the fact that you're plumbed, that you're electric, that uh it it's not the entity that is the liquor license. I understand. I understand what you're saying. Uh and I definitely have spoken with other folks who are doing this. Um this specific model. I put a couple in the um, yeah, I saw those, they're both different counties. They are different counties. Um and uh there's nobody else in the county that's doing this. There are also far less breweries here than there are in some of those other counties. And we're one of only two semi-permanent food trailers. When we applied that the health department was like, hmm, we haven't seen one of these in a long time. There's only one other one that um is been around for like 20 years. It's like a barbecue um stationary barbecue place. I I don't know where it is that the health department didn't tell me where, but it's in Carroll County. Um I don't know if they serve alcohol at that location. I can probably ask the health department who they are. Um but um it is uh different than what I'm sure you guys are used to. Um I just know that me living on Main Street is something I'm proud, I'm proud of this.
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