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May 3,2006 <br />Page 2 of 6 <br />The purpose of this letter is to set forth legal issues that might arise in revisiting the <br />Code violations in question so that each of you may give those whatever consideration you <br />deem is appropriate in making your decision in this matter. <br />As you will recall, the matter of Liquor Code violations, and the manner in which the <br />City deals with them, was raised as a result of some Code compliance checks that were done <br />last year. These checks found failures to comply with the Liquor Code restrictions at the <br />Green Mill Restaurant and Bar, the Roseville VFW Post #'7SSS, and the Old Chicago <br />restaurant. My review of the matter indicated that on October 28,2005, the City Manager <br />wrote letters to each establishment imposing a penalty which at least in part was less severe <br />than that dictated by the City Code. <br />In the case of each violation, the Code would have imposed a presumptive penalty of <br />$500 and a one day liquor license suspension. In the case of Old Chicago and the Green Mill, <br />Mr. Beets amended that to a$500 fine, a$500 charitable contribution, and required each <br />restaurant to participate in the Roseville Manager and Server Training Program. For the VFW <br />Post, the City Manager imposed a$500 fine, a requirement that the VFW Post enroll in the <br />Roseville Manager and Server Training Program, and a requirement that they remain vioiatian- <br />free for one year. <br />Basically, each restaurant avoided the one day liquor license suspension, but had other <br />consequences that would not otherwise had occasioned had they been sanctioned strictly <br />according to the presumptive schedule set forth in the Code. <br />As you know, there was a complaint that was lodged against the City Manager that the <br />actions taken by him were contrary to the Roseville City Code. The matter was sent out to a <br />Conflict Prosecutor, Steven M. Ta11en, to determine whether criminal prosecution was <br />warranted. Mr. Tallen did a thorough evaluation and determined that criminal prosecution was <br />not warranted. Part of the rationale was that it was clear that the City Manager believed, and <br />the Conflict Prosecutor found that there was some authority that past practice supported the <br />City Manager in this belief, that he had the implicit authority from the Council to handle <br />Liquor Code violation matters himself or through an agent, rather than requiring each hearing <br />to be held before the CounciL These facts are important, as they give rise to certain arguments <br />that a party could make in litigation, or in a contested case matter. <br />The question that was initially raised, at least by myself in my mind, was whether the <br />principle of double jeopardy prevents a city council from rehearing a decision previously made <br />by an agent of the city council? The double jeopardy clause of the United States and <br />Minnesota Constitutions, basically state that no person shall be put in jeopardy of punishment <br />more than once for the same offense. In general, double jeopardy clauses apply to criminal <br />prosecutions, and not civil penalties. See e. ., State v. I-Iumes, 581 N.W.2d 317 (Minn. 1998); <br />Hudson v. United States, 522 U.S. 93 (1997). Thus, while courts generally state that multiple <br />