03-14-05 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETINGFEBRUARY 28, 2005 WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council notes that ICRUD’s vision and mission statements are aimed at creating “healthier and safer environments by reducing the accessibility and availability of alcohol to underage persons” so that policies will be changed which “govern the way alcohol is marketed to, sold to, and bought by underage persons” and by educating the public and policymakers about Indiana’s underage drinking problems so that policies to reduce youth access to alcohol would be implemented; and WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council notes that ICRUD has further reported that “underage drinking is associated with the leading causes of death among youth…including car crashes, murder and suicide” and further reports that “ten million American teenagers drink monthly, eight million drink weekly, and over 500,000 teenagers go on weekly binges of five or more drinks in a row”; and WHEREAS, ICRUD has found that “on average, high school students consume 31 million gallons of wine coolers and 102 million gallons of beer each year”; that “9 of 10 Indiana minors say that alcohol is easy to get”; and that annually “Hoosiers pay over $1.3 million in underage drinking costs”; and WHEREAS, the Common Council notes that the “Orange Ribbon Campaign” runs from February through April of each year which consists of a statewide SADD/Orange Ribbon Youth Celebration of youth gathering in Indianapolis to make people aware of the dangers of underage drinking while stressing the fact that “over 40% of Indiana’s high school students say that they drink on a monthly basis and that something needs to be done”; with the Orange Ribbon stressing that today’s youth and adults need to take a stand against the effects of underage drinking and impaired driving; and WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council recognizes that the Indiana Prevention Resource Center (IPRC) was established in 1987 to assist in developing prevention programs which deal with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; and WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council further recognizes that in Indiana, the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission and the local Alcoholic Beverage Board for Indiana Codeet each county have specific powers and duties pursuant to § 7.1-2-3-1 seqIndiana Codeet seq ., and § 7.1-2-4-1 ., respectively; and WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council believes that based on the statistical information and public health and safety considerations briefly summarized in this resolution, that there is a growing need to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages at locations throughout our community which are commonly referred to as gas stations and convenience stores, in order to help preserve and enhance the quality of life in South Bend, Indiana; and WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council would like the City of South Bend, Indiana, to be counted along with Evansville, Gary, East Chicago, Cedar Lake and Highland which are some of the growing number of Indiana communities calling for gas stations and convenience stores to be prohibited from selling alcoholic beverages. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, AS FOLLOWS: Section I. The South Bend Common Council believes that there is a serious public safety issue, which is threatening the quality of life in the city and throughout the state of Indiana by the current lack of a clear state law definitions for “grocery store” and “supermarket” thereby enabling gas stations and convenience stores to sell beer and wine. Section II. The South Bend Common Council further believes that the Alcoholic Beverage Board of St. Joseph County should investigate this matter and adopt local policies, which would prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages in retail outlets commonly known as gas stations and convenience stores. 21