Mayor Josh Cohen and several aldermen are calling for the Annapolis' Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to issue higher fines against bars and liquor stores repeatedly busted for illegally selling to underage patrons.Following last month's double fatal motorcycle crash with possible links to underage drinking, they lamented last week that the board had never fined any establishment more than $1,000. They noted that the council doubled the maximum fine last October to $2,000.
"We gave them a bigger hammer for a reason," Cohen said in an interview, asking the board to modify the guidelines it usually follows when issuing fines.
Currently, the guidelines recommend a $2,000 fine only if an establishment is found to have served underage patrons five times in four years. They call for a $500 fine for a first offense, a $750 fine for a second offense and a $1,000 fine for a third offense. If the third offense occurred within 18 months of the second offense, the guidelines recommend a three-day suspension.
HA!! More taxes, fees, surcharges, and FINES.
ReplyDeleteTo people who break the law and have been warned several times 11:17. Is that a problem?
ReplyDelete