Liquor License Backlog Improving

State Liquor Authority Chair Lily Fan reported at a Board meeting this month that the Authority has made progress with the long delays in reviewing licenses, permits, and renewals. While far from declaring victory, Fan indicated that the average time to process a license has declined by more than 26% statewide. The Committee to Address the Backlog of License Applications, formed in November has made a significant dent in the problem, According to the SLA they’ve reduced on-premises application processing times by 38% in Zone 2 and 25% in Zone 3.

The committee has been extremely busy, reviewing more than 1350 applications since their formation. Nearly half the applications have been approved with the others referred to the regular licensing review process due to being incomplete, needing consideration by the full board, or are not eligible for the expedited processing. Because of the committee’s progress reducing the backlog, the Full Board voted to continue its work for another six months.

While reports of progress are encouraging, the fact that problems persist year-after-year make you wonder if the SLA can ever get its head above water. SLA Chair Fan is committed to that goal and she has our support. Hopefully the Executive Chamber and Legislature are on the same page.