MTA board tackles full agenda
By Paul Tash
Montana Tavern Times
The executive board of the Montana Tavern Association discussed candidates for the Legislature in the next election, approved a review of potential server-training programs for MTA endorsement, reviewed line-game progress, and discussed Washington's liquor-control initiative at its latest meeting Nov. 16 in Helena.
The meeting was the first to be run by new MTA president JoAnn Fuller of Big Timber, who was elected at September's MTA convention in Red Lodge. One of her first orders of business was to make committee assignments for the next year. Those elected to head the committees were Dennis White, Action Committee; Mary Jane Heisler, Budget and Finance Committee; Bobby Lincoln, Public Relations Committee; Steve Morris, Legislative and Gambling Committee; and Kris Jupka, Time and Place Committee.
Fuller then gave way to Mark Staples, MTA government affairs counsel, for his report.
Staples urged board members to seek out potential legislative candidates to familiarize them with industry-related issues in the Legislature.
“The MTA is built on personal relationships, so you need to cultivate those relationships with candidates,” he said. “Also, you know decent people. Maybe you could encourage one of your friends who understands our issues to run. Or better yet, consider running yourself.
Staples urged MTA members to become “politically involved.”
“You can't afford not to,” he said. “Bottom line – you need to know your lawyer, your insurance agent and your accountant. But just as important, everybody in this room should know their legislators.”
Staples said he will again be organizing local legislative forums leading up to the general elections next year. The forums are moderated by Staples with the goal of understanding the candidates' views on tavern-related topics.
“Those forums make a big difference,” he said. “They're crucial.”
Chris Caldwell, MTA office administrator, brought a proposal to the board from Montana Interactive, the state of Montana's eGovernment service provider, to provide an MTA-endorsed web-based training and certification service for sellers and servers of alcohol.
In return for its endorsement, MTA would receive a portion of the fee charged to each trainee who signs up for the on-line program. The program would be exclusive to the MTA.
The Montana Legislature passed a mandatory server-training law in April. It requires all sellers and servers of alcohol in Montana to be trained within 60 days of hire and every three years thereafter.
“I think it's a good idea,” Caldwell said of Interactive's online training proposal. “It could help a lot of places get their folks trained, plus be a good membership and revenue builder.”
Although he supported the idea in general, member Dennis White suggested that the MTA be allowed to review the program if it is to be MTA-affiliated.
The board authorized Caldwell to further investigate on-line server-training programs for possible MTA endorsement.
The board also heard from Mark Kennedy, president of the Montana Council on Problem Gambling, who provided a council update.
He said has hired Bonnie Huestis as interim director. She replaces Donna Johnson, who died this fall following a fight with cancer. Kennedy said the council will greatly miss Johnson, who managed the council nearly from its start 11 years ago.
Kennedy provided a hand-out to the board describing how the council works and how it's funded. He also thanked the MTA for its continued support of the council.
“This group has been very good to us,” he said.
The MTA is one of four main financial sponsors of the program since its inception, along with Town Pump, Montana Coin Machine Operators Association and the Gaming Industry Association.
Kennedy said the council has grown from 110 groups its first year to 969 groups this year.
“The program does work,” he said. “It's a viable program with growth and history.”
Also, the board unanimously elected Bruce Enott at chairman of the board, and Russ DeVries as vice chairman. Enott just finished in September a two-year term as MTA president.
Following are committee reports to the board.
Budget and Finance
Chairperson Mary Jane Heisler reported to the committee that the committee paid down the MTA's office mortgage by $100,000, saving the organization about $72,000 in interest and six years on the loan term. The move was approved by the MTA board at its September meeting.
She also reported that a new steel door has been purchased and installed at the back of the office, and other improvements, such as painting the building and replacing several of the windows, will be done in the spring.
In addition, Heisler said that membership increased over this time last year by 41 members, pushing the total to 677.
And the budget committee set aside an additional $10,000 for the Montana Council on Problem Gambling, should the council need it next year. The move follows similar ones by regular council contributors Town Pump and Montana Coin Machine Operators Association.
Public Relations
Bobby Lincoln, chairman of the Public Relations Committee, reported that 1,269 tickets were sold this year for the “On-the-House*Pitality” promotion, which combines free drink tickets and an NFL-based giveaway. The 1,269 total was just half the number sold last year for the promotion, which is now the MTA's main fundraiser.
The smaller ticket sales were attributed somewhat to the NFL players' strike in the summer that threatened the season for awhile. However, Lincoln said his committee agreed that MTA members need to be better educated about
the fundraiser and that it needs to be better promoted.
The committee discussed ways to better promote the fundraiser, he said, including developing more and larger display material such as posters and banners, to help participating tavern owners sell the tickets.
The promotion centers on a $20 ticket that entitles the ticket buyer to 11 free drink tickets from taverns across Montana. In addition, the ticket automatically enters the person in the Football Mania sweepstakes, where players participate each of the 17 weeks of the National Football League season with randomly chosen NFL teams. Each week the ticket holder's card lists three teams, and holders of the four highest and two lowest team point totals win cash prizes.
The committee also drew winners of a drawing for ticket sellers (sellers earned one entry into the drawing for every 25 tickets sold). Those winners were Melissa Shackleford and Pat Moriarty. It was an especially good day for Moriarty, who received an additional $500 for selling the most tickets (140).
Legislative and Gambling
Steve Morris, the new chairman of the Legislative and Gambling Committee, reported on the action of that committee, which met earlier in the day.
Some topics of discussion for his committee included line games and Washington's loss of liquor control.
Morris said the approval of line games by several manufactures “is on schedule” to be available by the Jan. 1 launch date. The Gambling Control Division lab, Morris said, was confident it could review all the games submitted for approval in time to be installed and ready to play by Jan. 1.
In other business, Morris said the Legislative and Gambling Committee discussed the November vote in Washington state that approved by about 60 percent a measure backed by retailer Costco ending 78 years of state-controlled liquor sales.
Washington will shut state-owned stores selling vodka and other spirits by June 1 and dismantle protections that prevented retailers from buying alcohol directly from manufacturers.
The measure was closely watched because it could create momentum in 17 other states that control liquor sales, including Montana.
“This is a big deal,” Morris said during the committee meeting.
Staples agreed, saying, “What's imperiled here isn't just controlled packaged liquor, but the entire system.”
The committee agreed to monitor the Washington situation and watch for any sign of a similar effort in Montana.