MONROE - Most Monroe aldermen say they are satisfied with the process that last week determined which two of five applicants would receive Class B liquor licenses.
Members of the Monroe Common Council were complimentary of the contributions Green County UW-Extension facilitator Cara Carper made to the discussions.
"The facilitator helped a lot," Alderman Charles Koch said. "It took a lot of the personal feelings and personal hang-ups out."
Barrett's Brick Cafe and Fiesta Cancun Authentic Mexican Restaurant were awarded the licenses. Other applicants were Kookaburra's, Vince's Ristorante and Pizzeria, and Pancho and Leftie's.
Aldermen voted unanimously to approve the outcome of the facilitated process that narrowed the field of five to the final two. But because the narrowing of the field was done in two straw votes, how aldermen voted between the five applicants wasn't entered into public record.
Since that meeting Sept. 1, nine of 10 aldermen have told the Times how they voted in those straw polls. Alderman Neal Hunter did not return several calls requesting his comments and preference votes.
Based on criteria the council established through facilitation, each alderman placed two stickers on a chart to designate which businesses they felt should get the licenses. In a first tally, Barrett's received seven votes; Fiesta Cancun, Kookaburra's and Vince's four votes each; and Pancho and Leftie's one vote. The stickers did not list the alderman by name.
Aldermen Paul Hannes, Mark Coplien, Jan Lefevre, Thurston Hanson, Kent Kallembach, Dan Henke and Charles Koch told the Times they each voted for Barrett's.
Aldermen Charles Schuringa, Keith Ingwell, Lefevre, Koch and Hanson said they voted for Fiesta Cancun, though only four stickers were shown during the meeting.
Aldermen Hannes, Coplien and Henke said they voted for Kookaburra's.
Aldermen Kallembach, Schuringa and Ingwell said they voted for Vince's.
None of the nine aldermen who talked to the Times said they voted for Pancho and Leftie's, though one sticker was shown during the meeting.
By virtue of the first vote, Barrett's was chosen as one of the recipients. Since three applicants tied in the first vote, a second vote was held to determine the second license recipient. Each alderman was given one sticker.
In the second vote, Fiesta Cancun received the most stickers, five. Kookaburra's received four votes, and Vince's one. Again, there was no public recording of how each alderman voted.
Aldermen Schuringa, Lefevre, Hanson, Ingwell and Koch told the Times they voted for Fiesta Cancun.
Aldermen Hannes, Coplien and Henke said they voted for Kookaburra's, while Kallembach said he voted for Vince's.
"I'm pleased we had a split - west to downtown," Henke said. "It wasn't one of the criteria, but when I suggested location, that's what I was shooting for. Overall, I'm proud of our alderpeople, I think they did a very good job, and they knew the seriousness of it."
Barrett's, in downtown Monroe, was granted a license for a $500 fee. Fiesta Cancun, on the city's west side, was granted the final reserve Class B license for the state-imposed $10,000 fee, plus the city's $500 fee. Both now will be allowed to serve hard liquor in addition to wine and beer.
Barrett's received the less expensive license because it received the most votes in the first round.
Kallembach said having a facilitator "provided a legal basis for our decision. We went through a well thought-out process. We identified criteria that helped us look more objectively and gave us a basis for our decision."
"The facilitator did a good job," Hannes said. "She went about it in a practical, professional way."
"She (Carper) got a lot of comments out of everybody," Schuringa said. "A lot of minds were made up. My mind didn't change, but she had a nice way of putting things up (on the board), and I think it did everybody some good."
"At first I was hesitant of a facilitator," Lefevre said, "but during the process she helped us figure out the top four criteria."
"It was a monumental decision. I'm happy everyone seemed to be pretty much on the same page," Coplien said. "The facilitator did a beautiful job. It was simply strategic planning.
Council members spent about 45 minutes determining the top five criteria for their decision, including job creation, tax base impact, the ability to draw people to Monroe and expand the business, and the business' uniqueness.
The criteria helped keep the applicants "on track" when they addressed the council, Henke said.
"Sincerely, all of them are good business people, and it's too bad they had to go through this process. But it's (caused by) the state (quota)," he said. "I didn't have my mind made up (coming into the process), and I switched in the middle after hearing the applicants."
Kallembach said he also changed his mind after the hearing Barrett Allman present his plans for using the license. Barrett's had not previously been one of his first two choices, he added.
All applicants were on record and permitted five minutes during the decision process to address the criteria as they applied to their business plans.
Hannes said he was "disappointed" Kookaburra's didn't get a license.
"My thought was with over $4 million invested on the Square, I think we should do everything we can to support business there," Hannes said. He said he was glad one license went downtown, to Barrett's.
Lefevre said she "looked mostly for ability to expand and the number of employees, more jobs, it would bring."
"Barrett's has room for the most expansion," Lefevre said. She also said Fiesta Cancun is "ready to get started" with its liquor sales.
Hanson said he was "torn" between Barrett's and Kookaburra's, both in his aldermanic ward.
"Barrett's has been open longer and has proven it works," Hanson said. "They're always busy in there, and he draws people to Monroe."
Hanson said he heard from his constituents that one license should go downtown, the other to the west side.
"From all the calls I got, always, Fiesta was one of the choices," he said.
Henke said he kept his votes to downtown establishments because "uniqueness, as one of the criteria, draws a different clientele, and downtown has a uniqueness all its own."
Members of the Monroe Common Council were complimentary of the contributions Green County UW-Extension facilitator Cara Carper made to the discussions.
"The facilitator helped a lot," Alderman Charles Koch said. "It took a lot of the personal feelings and personal hang-ups out."
Barrett's Brick Cafe and Fiesta Cancun Authentic Mexican Restaurant were awarded the licenses. Other applicants were Kookaburra's, Vince's Ristorante and Pizzeria, and Pancho and Leftie's.
Aldermen voted unanimously to approve the outcome of the facilitated process that narrowed the field of five to the final two. But because the narrowing of the field was done in two straw votes, how aldermen voted between the five applicants wasn't entered into public record.
Since that meeting Sept. 1, nine of 10 aldermen have told the Times how they voted in those straw polls. Alderman Neal Hunter did not return several calls requesting his comments and preference votes.
Based on criteria the council established through facilitation, each alderman placed two stickers on a chart to designate which businesses they felt should get the licenses. In a first tally, Barrett's received seven votes; Fiesta Cancun, Kookaburra's and Vince's four votes each; and Pancho and Leftie's one vote. The stickers did not list the alderman by name.
Aldermen Paul Hannes, Mark Coplien, Jan Lefevre, Thurston Hanson, Kent Kallembach, Dan Henke and Charles Koch told the Times they each voted for Barrett's.
Aldermen Charles Schuringa, Keith Ingwell, Lefevre, Koch and Hanson said they voted for Fiesta Cancun, though only four stickers were shown during the meeting.
Aldermen Hannes, Coplien and Henke said they voted for Kookaburra's.
Aldermen Kallembach, Schuringa and Ingwell said they voted for Vince's.
None of the nine aldermen who talked to the Times said they voted for Pancho and Leftie's, though one sticker was shown during the meeting.
By virtue of the first vote, Barrett's was chosen as one of the recipients. Since three applicants tied in the first vote, a second vote was held to determine the second license recipient. Each alderman was given one sticker.
In the second vote, Fiesta Cancun received the most stickers, five. Kookaburra's received four votes, and Vince's one. Again, there was no public recording of how each alderman voted.
Aldermen Schuringa, Lefevre, Hanson, Ingwell and Koch told the Times they voted for Fiesta Cancun.
Aldermen Hannes, Coplien and Henke said they voted for Kookaburra's, while Kallembach said he voted for Vince's.
"I'm pleased we had a split - west to downtown," Henke said. "It wasn't one of the criteria, but when I suggested location, that's what I was shooting for. Overall, I'm proud of our alderpeople, I think they did a very good job, and they knew the seriousness of it."
Barrett's, in downtown Monroe, was granted a license for a $500 fee. Fiesta Cancun, on the city's west side, was granted the final reserve Class B license for the state-imposed $10,000 fee, plus the city's $500 fee. Both now will be allowed to serve hard liquor in addition to wine and beer.
Barrett's received the less expensive license because it received the most votes in the first round.
Kallembach said having a facilitator "provided a legal basis for our decision. We went through a well thought-out process. We identified criteria that helped us look more objectively and gave us a basis for our decision."
"The facilitator did a good job," Hannes said. "She went about it in a practical, professional way."
"She (Carper) got a lot of comments out of everybody," Schuringa said. "A lot of minds were made up. My mind didn't change, but she had a nice way of putting things up (on the board), and I think it did everybody some good."
"At first I was hesitant of a facilitator," Lefevre said, "but during the process she helped us figure out the top four criteria."
"It was a monumental decision. I'm happy everyone seemed to be pretty much on the same page," Coplien said. "The facilitator did a beautiful job. It was simply strategic planning.
Council members spent about 45 minutes determining the top five criteria for their decision, including job creation, tax base impact, the ability to draw people to Monroe and expand the business, and the business' uniqueness.
The criteria helped keep the applicants "on track" when they addressed the council, Henke said.
"Sincerely, all of them are good business people, and it's too bad they had to go through this process. But it's (caused by) the state (quota)," he said. "I didn't have my mind made up (coming into the process), and I switched in the middle after hearing the applicants."
Kallembach said he also changed his mind after the hearing Barrett Allman present his plans for using the license. Barrett's had not previously been one of his first two choices, he added.
All applicants were on record and permitted five minutes during the decision process to address the criteria as they applied to their business plans.
Hannes said he was "disappointed" Kookaburra's didn't get a license.
"My thought was with over $4 million invested on the Square, I think we should do everything we can to support business there," Hannes said. He said he was glad one license went downtown, to Barrett's.
Lefevre said she "looked mostly for ability to expand and the number of employees, more jobs, it would bring."
"Barrett's has room for the most expansion," Lefevre said. She also said Fiesta Cancun is "ready to get started" with its liquor sales.
Hanson said he was "torn" between Barrett's and Kookaburra's, both in his aldermanic ward.
"Barrett's has been open longer and has proven it works," Hanson said. "They're always busy in there, and he draws people to Monroe."
Hanson said he heard from his constituents that one license should go downtown, the other to the west side.
"From all the calls I got, always, Fiesta was one of the choices," he said.
Henke said he kept his votes to downtown establishments because "uniqueness, as one of the criteria, draws a different clientele, and downtown has a uniqueness all its own."