The Winslow City Council voted to approve a special event liquor license for the Cinco De Mayo celebration on May 5. The application was presented by the Standing on the Corner Foundation, which hosts the event each year at the Eagle Pavilion.
Council member Judy Howell said, “I have a problem with this in that on Feb. 13, we approved a new ordinance forbidding the possession or the consuming of liquor of any kind on city owned property.” The ordinance in reference does make possession or consumption of alcohol on city property a class one misdemeanor. “I am not sure that the council should be in the business of granting people permission to break the law.
“I also see that this is discriminatory because on Cinco De Mayo, if I am in the Standing on the Corner Foundation Park drinking a beer, I would be legit. If I were to walk across the street to a city owned park, I could be arrested and I think that is very discriminatory,” she added.
City Manager Steve Pauken noted that he had spoken with the city attorney on the matter. “The whole purpose of a special event liquor license is to grant permission under controlled circumstances for a group to hold events in locations other than that is normally allowed.” Pauken went on to say that the city was aware that this concern may come up. “We knew when this ordinance was suggested by Chief Brown and adopted by council, that there would be special events during the year where the special event liquor license would be requested. They go through the process of obtaining a permit to serve liquor in controlled conditions. From a legal standpoint we see no inconsistency with the ordinance that was passed.”
Howell replied, “I still see it as discriminatory and I see it as a bad thing to do, to start letting people violate something that is otherwise against the law. I really don’t think that is the job of the city council.”
Despite Howell’s opposition, the special events liquor license request was approved by a roll call vote of four to one, with Howell voting against and Councilman Harold Soehner recusing himself, as his company provides the insurance for the event.
The council also heard a letter written by David Sanchez. Sanchez is the uncle of Phillip Sanchez, Jr. a 14-year-old Winslow boy who passed away last month following complications from influenza. Sanchez’s letter asked the council to approve naming the baseball field located at Sacred Heart Park on Washington Street after the young man. “Our family respectfully requests that the field be named ‘Philly’s Field’ in memory of Phillip. We would be honored for his name to live on in a place where he loved playing baseball and in an area where his family has had roots for several generations.”
Mayor Robin Boyd explained, “We are starting a process to make an ordinance on how to name fields. I have absolutely no problem naming the field after Phillip. But we are in the process of doing this so we can more formalize what we are doing with naming these fields in a more organized way. We are working on that immediately.”
Boyd also let the family know that he would like to see a meeting in the neighborhood of South Side where the field is located to gain an idea of how the residents feel about the name. “I think that would be a very strong reason to name a ballpark after Phillip.” The council took no action on the naming of the ballpark, however, the motion was made and carried on directing staff to work diligently on acquiring the proper ordinance language to facilitate these types of requests. Boyd said, “We want to have a more solid policy on how we go about naming things.”
The council also heard a status report from Pauken. “The budget process for the city operating budget is well under way.” The fiscal year 2019 begins July 1, as Pauken explained. “We are on target on our budget calendar so that we can bring in before you sometime in June.”
In other business, the council:
* Approved an agreement with the Navajo County Community College District stating that the City of Winslow will provide qualified law enforcement instructors for the Northeastern Arizona Training Center when needed. Any compensation to the instructors shall be the responsibility of the city.
* Proclaimed the week of April 8-14 National Library Week. Library Director Gaylen Worthington said, “This is a time for us to put ourselves out there and invite people to see what we are doing.”
* Adopted issuance and post issuance compliance procedures and continuing disclosure compliance procedures relating to tax exempt bonds for the city.
* Approved the quarterly court report given by Judge B.J. Little. Little said, “We have had nine juvenile cases this quarter with four of those participating in our Teen Court program. Teen Court is held at 605 East Third Street, our next proceeding is Monday with our county attorney, school resource officer and about 17 students from the high school.”
* Approved the appointment of Kerwin Lawrence to the Board of Adjustment until April 30, 2019.
The Winslow City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, in the council chambers located at 115 East Second Street. The public is invited to attend.
