By Kayla Anderson
MCIN
A few months ago, the Mineral County commissioners approved a change to the alcohol license fee structure which has some businesses and/or nonprofit organizations questioning what they are paying for.
Effective July 1, 2024, all types of entities who serve alcohol are charged $200 per quarter to hold a liquor license—including bars, nonprofits, restaurants, and any others.
Annual business license fees in Mineral County range from $40 (for a self-employed person including their spouse) to $1200 (a company with 151-plus employees).
Quarterly liquor fees for businesses that serve alcohol also apply, which includes: $200 for the bar; $150 for selling retail; $75 for selling beer and wine; and $30 if the business is a wholesale distributor. If a business is just selling alcohol for a one-day event, it costs $10 for a non-profit business and $75 for a for-profit business. Licensed businesses must also pay $5 per bartender plus a $5 fee per “amusement device.”
Nonprofit groups like the VFW, American Legion, and Elks Lodge don’t really have paid “bartenders” or employees, it’s been more common in Hawthorne for these clubs to have volunteers who help—usually unpaid– to serve drinks to their members and the public when they’re open and for special events. Although the county charges a fee per bartender for a business to serve alcohol, since a group can have maybe 20 volunteers who contribute their time to raise money for their group or a cause, the county keeps it fair by just charging these nonprofits for one bartender regardless of how many volunteers they have.
For special events that are held outside of Hawthorne, nonprofits would need a special use permit which costs $10.
“The county commissioners made it clear in that meeting [where they talked about the liquor license changes] that everyone pays the same amount, and the Sheriff’s Office goes by what was approved and enacted,” says Mineral County Sheriff Bill Ferguson.
Along with giving nonprofits a break on bartender fees, places like the VFW, Elks Lodge, and American Legion also don’t pay for “amusement devices” such as pool tables, slot machines, and gaming tables.
In the past, businesses in Mina and Walker Lake Bighorn Crossing did pay less in their fees since they were outside of Hawthorne, but the commissioners changed it so that it’s equalized across the county now.
An employee of the MCSO said that one representative from a nonprofit came in wanting to renew their liquor license, but they didn’t even have one because they’re a nonprofit. “Some have business licenses but haven’t paid the fees to renew them, so we do have to enforce that,” she said.
