Mayor George Stewart is still having a hard time convincing members of the City Council that banning beer sales from drive-up windows would reduce alcohol sales to minors.
"I can't prove it would cause less beer to be sold to minors, but it just makes common sense to me that it would," the mayor told council members Tuesday night.However, many members of the City Council are hesitant to pass an ordinance banning drive-up window beer sales, fearing it would hurt businesses. Some council members believe current laws requiring store clerks to request identification from buyers are adequate if enforced. They don't want to pass a "feel-good" ordinance that would have no impact on beer sales to minors.
"I'm still of the opinion that if they want to get it, they will find a way," Councilman Mark Hathaway said.
An official from Crest convenience stores told city officials that beer sales account for much of their annual sales, and about one-third of all beer sales are conducted through drive-up windows. He said he fears if customers are required to come inside, they would simply buy beer at a regular store. He said the ordinance would take the "convenience" out of his company's convenience stores.
The ordinance was discussed a few months ago at a Council of Governments meeting where most Utah County mayors felt the ordinance would be effective in reducing beer sales to minors. The theory is that it's easier for clerks to make sure an identification matches the buyer when the purchase is made inside. It might be harder to match identification when the customer is sitting in a dark car.
Spanish Fork and Salem already passed similar ordinances, with the endorsement of several convenience store owners.
Stewart agrees with the thinking expressed at Council of Governments and said it is more difficult to use false identification when standing in front of a clerk. He said he doesn't care if the ordinance causes a reduction in beer sales if it prevents one minor from buying alcohol.
"Anything we can do to slow down the access of alcohol to minors, we should do it," he said.
The city Police Department conducted two sting operations the past few weeks where a teen attempted to purchase beer through a drive-up window. Only one clerk in 10 attempts sold the minor beer.
Most council members said they won't pass such an ordinance until they have more evidence that minors are buying alcohol through drive-up windows. They want to talk to police officials and some teens before considering the ordinance again.
Hathaway said he believes if the city bans beer sales from drive-up windows, it should do the same with tobacco sales. The mayor said he would have no problem adding that provision to the ordinance.