MTA board hears upbeat committee reports
Mary Jane Heisler, chairman of the Budget Committee, opened the Montana Tavern Association Board of Directors meeting May 5 at Jorgenson's in Helena with a report that was good news. 
"Everything is A-okay," Heisler said in an unusually abbreviated report, adding that revenue and expense projections were tracking as expected. "We're a first class business organization...for a bunch of sinners," she said with a laugh. Her committee had met earlier that day.
Public Relation Committee Chairman Tanya Harper then took the podium and told the directors her committee had spent significant time considering the MTA's main fundraiser raffle, and how to get the most out of it. (See complete PR Committee report elsewhere in this edition.)
The raffle sells no more than 1,000 tickets at $100 each, then draws for a series of cash prizes totalling $50,000, so it has the potential to earn the MTA $50,000 for its programs, including the almost $40,000 required for its share of business support for problem gambler help services.
But last year the group sold just over 800 tickets and fewer than the year before.
Harper said her committee is working to see that all 1,000 tickets are sold this year, noting that just one member, Bruce Enot, sold over 300 himself last year. She said so far this year, 280 tickets have been sold, somewhat off the pace of previous years.
She told the board MTA and local chapter affiliates had raised and donated $11,500 for the Montana Meth Project this year, and recommended the MTA contribute $500 in each of the next three years to support the Montana High School Business Challenge which teaches students business fundamentals. The board agreed to the request.
Mark Staples was next called upon to deliver the Legislative and Gambling Committee report. (See the complete story elsewhere in this edition.)
He said as a whole, the 2009 legislative session a positive one for licensed business owners.
"I think MTA did a good job," he said, but warned the Legislature will now lose 30 of its most experienced members to term limits, so the job of a business association is never done. "It's not too early to begin cultivating candidates," he said.
He noted a bill, not opposed by MTA, to allow Montana brewers to make stronger beer passed, but that two bills to allow "tastings" away from licensed premises, both opposed by MTA, failed.
A measure to allow city voters to enact local option sales taxes, also opposed by MTA, died.
A server training certification bill, supported by MTA, was withdrawn when the Department of Revenue and hospitality business associations agreed to make the desired changes via administrative rule rather than statute. The proposed rules would conditionally mitigate violation penalties for licensees if they have certified trained servers. Staples said MTA would participate in the rules drafting process.
A bill to raise gaming taxes was drafted but never introduced, Staples said, perhaps because the requestor took Gov. Brian Schweitzer at his word, that he would veto new taxes targeted at hospitality businesses, and the word of legislators who had vowed to not vote for any tax increases. Staples noted a proposed 5¢-per-drink tax, opposed by MTA, also died in committee.
A bill to allow businesses to credit tip income toward fulfillment of minimum wage obligations failed to get out of committee, Staples said. Another replacement bill meant to mitigate the hardship caused to some businesses by ever increasing minimum wage levels was eventually withdrawn when sponsors decided it was really no solution to the problem.
Staples said a bill to allow tavern and restaurant health inspection fees to be raised by agencies using administrative rules rather than statute, was amended to instead keep fee rate authority in statute, but also will allow fees to increase, raising over $300,000 in new revenue for inspections.
Another bill to exempt club entertainers from work comp insurance requirements was amended to include only musicians. Staples said the measure does require clubs to now have written contracts with musical acts for the acts to qualify for the exemption.
Staples told the board the Legislative and Gambling Committee recommended MTA send a letter to the Montana congressional delegation asking them to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate March 10. The Act would authorize a simple "card check" process to call for an election to form a union. The board unanimously approved.
Board Director Bob Fletcher commented, "We often say we are for maintaining the status quo, and that's pretty much what we got." He commended Staples for a job well done and asked for a round of applause which was enthusiastically rendered.
Staples said, "It's the off-season work that we do that makes the difference. It also has a lot to do with your association alliances, folks like Neil Peterson (executive director of the Gaming Industry Association) and Ronda Wiggers (lobbyist for the Montana Coin machine Operators Association). But we can never get lax; we must always stay vigilant."
Darrell Keck, one of MTA's two directors on the American Beverage Licensees (ABLs) board, the MTA's national affiliate, was asked to deliver the national report.
He said the ABL convention was "soft" and said he thought attendance was down, and that it certainly was down at the Nightclub and Bar Trade Show, just concluded in March. Keck said the ABL convention will remain in Las Vegas but likely at a new venue (rather than the Monte Carlo resort).
The ABL Board will meet in Washington, D.C., June 8-12, Keck said, where directors will consider ABL business but will also lobby congressional delegations on The Hill.
Keck said Montana U.S. Sen. Max Baucus has been selected to be honored by the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. and the Wine and Spirits Wholesales of America at Mount Vernon October 14 for his "extraordinary contribution to our country and for publicly upholding the great virtues and values which George Washington stood for." A spokesman for the Senator later said she was unsure if Baucus would be able to attend.
MTA Executive Director Diana Koon next gave her report, noting nominees for the Durkee Award are being solicited and that "early bird" bids from local chapters for the 2011 convention are needed, as the funds go to the local association hosting this year's event—Missoula, Sept. 20-24.
She said planning for the convention is well under way and that there will be golf and poker tournaments, a sporting clays shotgunning event and a ladies' outing among numerous other fun activities.
Koon noted that posters advertising the big MTA fund raiser raffle had been sent to all licensees through the Montana Tavern Times in both the March and April editions and that operators should be sure to put them up.
She told the board that at the end of April, there were 783 regular members, 198 Gold Star members, 51 associate members and one corporate sponsor.
Under new business, it was noted Sen. Joe Topila (D-Great Falls) had been reappointed by the Senate leadership to the Gaming Advisory Council, and that there was yet no word who would be the House of Representatives appointee. (Later it was learned the House appointed Rep. Pat Noonan [D-Butte].)
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, May 2009, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W Granite, Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.