Council is responsible for administering the licensing functions of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 (the Act). This includes:
- appointing and supporting the District Licensing Committee (DLC), made up of members of the community.
- receiving and processing licence applications and managers’ certificates for DLC decision making.
- preparing material for the DLC to meet their reporting requirements to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA)
- monitoring and compliance assessments of all licenses and certified managers – including inspections of premises and providing education to licensees.
Our alcohol fees are set under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Fees) Regulations 2013 and have not changed since they were first set in 2013. While the fees have stayed the same, the cost of alcohol licensing have increased. This means Tauranga ratepayers are now contributing about 60% (approximately $755,000) towards the cost of alcohol licensing. The legislation allows Council’s to set their own fee to recover the costs of alcohol licensing but a bylaw is needed for this to occur.
If a bylaw was in place we would have the ability to increase our licensing application and annual fees, so that we can reduce some or all of the costs from ratepayers. We want to know what you think.