Carroll County Board of License Commissioners Meeting – September 9, 2026
Carroll County Board of License Commissioners Meeting – September 9, 2026
The Carroll County Board of License Commissioners convened on September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the Reagan Room of the Carroll County Office Building, Westminster, Maryland. The board addressed first-time event license applications, violation hearings for three establishments, a license transfer, policy discussions, and other business. The meeting adjourned after the transfer hearing, with the next meeting scheduled for October 7, 2026.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of meeting minutes from the previous session, with no corrections.
First-Time Event License Applications
- Union Mills Homestead Foundation (Sam Riley): Requested a one-day liquor license for the 19th annual Maryland craft beverage festival, to be held September 19, 2026. The event had previously operated under a state license. No objections; approved.
- Carroll County Humane Society (Jamie representing Steve Powell): Requested a one-day license for a fundraising festival and 5K on September 19, 2026, at Wakefield Valley Event Center (new venue). Alcohol to be served indoors and outdoors with wristband system. No objections; approved.
- Town of Mount Airy (Gina): Requested a one-day license for the Mount Airy Craft Beverage Festival on September 30, 2026, as part of the town’s 250th celebration. The board required a completed application, wristbands, and ID checks for all attendees. The application was incomplete; conditional approval granted upon submission of the application and $50 fee.
- Players on Air (theatrical play): Requested a one-day license for October 11, 2026, at the old high school. No objections; approved.
- Czech and Slovak Heritage event: Previously held; approved.
Violation Hearings
- Case 6628 – Liquidity Aleworks (Raymond Tignall & William Devers): Violation for selling alcohol to a minor on June 25, 2026. An employee served a 20-year-old without checking ID. The licensee had no written policy at the time but later implemented a written card-all policy and dismissed the employee. This was the first violation in four compliance checks. The board found the licensee culpable and imposed a $300 fine.
- Case 6638 – Brewery Fire (Jesse Johnson & Deepkumar Patel): Violation on August 26, 2026. A retired police officer/bartender served a minor without asking for ID. The licensee had a written card-all policy and an employee incentive program. This was the first violation in six compliance checks. The board found the licensee culpable and imposed a $300 fine.
- Case 6627 – Tony Pazzo Italian Restaurant (Anthony Guarino & Christopher McManus): Violation on August 26, 2026. A bartender served a minor who presented a vertical license, contrary to house policy. The licensee had signage stating no vertical licenses but no written employee policy. This was the first violation in three compliance checks. The board found the licensee culpable and imposed a $300 fine.
License Transfer
- Case 6639 – Transfer of Class B Beer, Wine and Liquor License from Anthony Guarino and Christopher McManus to Satyanarayana Chalasani for Urban Table Group LLC, trading as Tony Pazzo Italian Ristorante and Bar: The applicant, Mr. Chalasani, presented experience in restaurant management, TIPS certification, and character witnesses. He stated that 70% of current staff are TIPS certified and that he will ensure all servers are certified. The board discussed vertical license policy; the applicant agreed to adopt a strict no-vertical-ID policy. The board approved the transfer pending final approvals from other agencies (health department noted a deficiency). The motion carried unanimously.
Policy Discussion – Signage Posting for Violations
- The board revisited a prior decision requiring posting signs for violations. After discussion and input from licensees, the board decided not to post signs for violations. Instead, posting will only be required for license suspensions or revocations. Inspector Ledley noted the current compliance rate is 94%.
Other Business
- Dispute between Downtown Sykesville Connection (DSC) and Vine on Maine: Jonathan Wheatman (attorney for DSC) and Julie Della Maria (DSC executive director) appeared to discuss a dispute over liability waivers required for events. The board clarified it had no jurisdiction over the private insurance matter and that the issue must be resolved between the parties. No board action taken.
- Rule amendment: The board agreed to include in the next rule book revision a clarification that LLC membership interest requirements mirror the existing stock interest requirements (5% or $5,000) for license applicants.
- Inspector Report: Inspector Ledley reported completing 30–35 compliance checks with no violations. He noted that compliance checks at Liquidity Aleworks and Brewery Fire had previously been successful.
Key Outcomes
- Three fines of $300 each imposed for underage sales violations (Liquidity Aleworks, Brewery Fire, Tony Pazzo).
- License transfer approved for Tony Pazzo to Satyanarayana Chalasani, subject to remaining agency approvals.
- Policy change: No posting of signs for violations; only for suspensions or revocations.
- All first-time event license applications approved (Mount Airy conditional on completing application and fee).
- Meeting adjourned after the transfer hearing.
Meeting Transcript
The meeting to order of the Carroll County Board of Licensed Commissioners. We will begin our meeting as for many many years with the pledge of the flag and observe a moment of silence. Sure, yes, sir. You didn't approve of the minutes. I know I didn't approve the minutes, but that's under the other business. Thank you for reminding me, though. Shut this phone off. Mr. Riley, you want to tell us what you're going to do and how you're going to do it and why you're going to do it? Yes, sir. Thank you. My name is Sam Riley. I'm the president of the Board of Governors at the Union Mills Homestead Foundation. And I suppose this is somewhat of a an unusual first time event appearance in that this is supposed to be the 19th uh year that we've held this event. Um would be probably the 20th or 21st. We had a few cancellations due to weather there in the valley. But um this is the first time we are seeking licensing through the county system. Um we uh um have been licensed um for the previous 18 event iterations through the state nonprofit festival licensing uh uh Protocol. Protocol. I was looking for the right kind of um bureaucratic word. Um it and it's just gotten uh to be uh unwieldy. It's it's a different licensing protocol, it's a different process. They've moved to one stop, and uh we've had some other events recently and been using you know this licensing protocol. It's a lot easier and uh a lot more um accessible. Uh it's great to be able to come right in here to the county office building and make application. Um the event will be run as it's been run in the previous 18 uh years. Uh it's uh a uh festival intended to promote um Maryland craft beverages and also to serve as a fundraiser for the nonprofit Union Mills Homestead Foundation, which operates the historic site. Um the the event will be run in the uh same uh manner in which it's been run in previous years. We've got uh um we're lucky we have a very um good uh kind of collaboration of volunteers that come out. They love the event. Um we have a good core of people who come to attend the event. Um you know we have a just as mass of volunteers that greet guests, welcome them, check their IDs. You know, it's uh um great to uh um see, I guess uh the the alcohol regulation uh process in in action by by everyday citizens under the supervision of our trained staff. We've got folks who are alcohol um certified, including myself. Um of course, all the attending uh craft beverage providers have off-site permits, and uh they have alcohol um uh certified folks as well. Um the key proto, I guess um system we have is we have a uh a banding system to identify who's over 21 and who's under 21, and uh that determines kind of the who gets uh served and who doesn't. And then we uh um have a just uh it's a nice day, it's a nice event. We have the Carroll County Sheriff's present every year. Um it's got a nice security presence, and we get a lot of compliments every year for how the events run. So that's the uh the basic uh story, and uh I look forward to your questions. So basically the only difference is you're applying for a one-day liquor license versus a state license previous years, and this event's been for what you say, 19 years. Yes, that's the the only difference at all in the event. Um the the uh the the one well uh with one other slight difference is I uh this year we've invited um uh some uh wine uh uh local wine producers, if they would like to participate. This one question we've gotten every year is why don't you have any wine? And um, you know, it's we've always said this is a beer event, we don't have wine. Um and uh, you know, it's only so many times you tell somebody no that you start to realize you're turning them away. So um we have invited uh Bordie, uh we invited some others, but only Bordy is uh accepted uh will be there and uh um uh as part of the event. Inspector Ledford, as uh either you or Inspector Benford, I'm sure one of you has been there. Never any problems. Never problems.
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