Ordinance & License Committee Meeting - March 9, 2026
Ordinance & License Committee Meeting - March 9, 2026
The Ordinance & License Committee of the City of Waukesha met on Monday, March 9, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. All five committee members were present. The meeting covered routine license approvals, a new ordinance addressing reckless driving impoundment, and temporary alcohol beverage permits for Raised Grain events. All motions passed unanimously (5-0).
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The draft minutes from the February 23, 2026 meeting were approved by unanimous consent.
- Invited Bartender License: Approved the operator's license for Sarah Elizabeth Evans, with the committee noting her history and sufficient time elapsed since prior issues.
- Other License Applications: Approved the Extension of Premises for For the Story LLC, sidewalk cafe applications for The Steaming Cup and Tofte's Table, and a "Class A" liquor license for Discount Smokes & Spirits.
Discussion Items
- Adoption of Wis. Stat. § 349.115 into Municipal Code (Reckless Driving Impoundment): Assistant City Attorney Michael Radovich presented a memorandum recommending adoption of the state statute, recently amended by the legislature. The ordinance allows police to impound vehicles used in reckless driving, even if the driver is not the owner and regardless of prior offenses. A minor typographical error in subsection 7A was noted and will be corrected before the second reading. Police Chief Thompson expressed full support, calling reckless driving a public safety threat and stating the ordinance would be a useful tool. Ald. Halvensleben asked about parallels with DUI impoundment and cost recovery for stolen vehicles used in reckless driving. The city attorney noted potential restitution or civil claims. The committee voted to recommend approval with the noted correction.
- AB 105 for Raised Grain – Tribute Tuesday Events: The committee considered state-required municipal approval for Raised Grain Brewing Company to sell beverages at four Tribute Tuesday events (June 9, July 14, August 11, and September 1, 2026, from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM). City Attorney Radovich recommended approval without restrictions on products sold, noting that non-alcoholic alternatives should be allowed. The committee approved the application and authorized the clerk to sign off on any additional, identical AB 105 applications if separate permits are required per event.
- AB 105 for Raised Grain – GuitarTown Music Festival: The committee approved a similar municipal sign-off for Raised Grain to sell beverages at the GuitarTown Music Festival on June 13, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Key Outcomes
- Reckless Driving Impoundment Ordinance: Approved for recommendation to the full City Council with a 5-0 vote. The ordinance will require second and third readings unless the rule is suspended. It will become effective the day after publication in the Freeman newspaper.
- Tribute Tuesday AB 105 Approvals: Approved unanimously, with the clerk authorized to approve additional identical applications if needed.
- GuitarTown Music Festival AB 105 Approval: Approved unanimously.
- The meeting adjourned at 6:21 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Give me one second here. Um, it is 601, so we will call to order the Monday, March 9th meeting of the ordinance and licensing committee. All committee members are present, so we do have a quorum. Uh moving on to public comment. Anyone public comment? Chief. No, no, no, no. Okay. Maybe they hear it. Okay. All right. Uh moving on from public comment since no one else is in the uh gallery. Approval of minutes. Anyone have any concerns with the uh objections to the minutes as they're presented? Seeing none, we will consider the minutes approved by unanimous consent. Moving on to licenses, um invited bartenders. Uh we only have one person on the list. Um, sorry, let me pull it up so I get it correct. Um we only have Sarah Evans on the list. Um she has not attended, but based on her history and the time period uh between when uh a few things were on her record, and uh you know enough time has passed between that and now so I will make a motion to approve the uh bartender's license for Sarah Evans and I'll second. Okay, so we have a motion to approve the operator's license for Sarah Evans uh motion by myself, seconded by all the person Halvin's laban. You can vote when it's before you vote. And we're doing some training here, so this might take a minute that passes unanimously. My computer now needs a restart. Moving on to our next agenda item. Uh we have other applications. Um want to make a motion on these, we can approve them all at once. Yeah, I will make the motion to approve the applications for discount smokes and spirits, class A beer and liquor retail for the story LLC extension of premises, the steaming cup sidewalk cafe, and tofties table sidewalk cafe. I'll second. All right, perfect. We have a motion to approve by Alder Person Halvin's laban, seconded by Alder Person Manion. The uh licenses for discount smokes and spirits, class A beer and liquor retail for the story LLC extension of premises, the steaming cup sidewalk cafe, and Tofty's table sidewalk cafe. You can vote when it's before you. Uh moving on, discussion recommendation, adoption of Wisconsin statute 349.115 into municipal code regarding the impounding of vehicles used in reckless driving. Uh Brian Michael, yes, good evening. Uh assistant city attorney Michael Radovich. Uh, my office did get a referral regarding uh adopting the statute into our code. The statute had been amended by the state legislature recently, making some changes. Uh so I submitted a memorandum to the council. I'm happy to discuss any questions that you may have. How soon can we implement this? I was reading in the newspaper about uh a couple other incidences and other communities. So as soon as possible. Thank you. Well, I mean it would be this is the first reading tonight. There'll be a second reading at the next council meeting, and they will have uh the option at that point to suspend the rule requiring the third reading. And uh ordinance changes or or ordinances are effective the day after they are published. So as soon as we can get it published in the Freeman, the next day is when it will actually take effect and can be enforced. Any other questions from anybody? We made Michael stay late to present to us, so I am happy to do so, and I guess I will let you guys know uh there is a minor error in subsection 7A, so that will be slightly different next meeting.
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