Bernalillo Town Council addresses fencing appeal, liquor license

BERNALILLO — The town of Bernalillo held its bi-weekly town meeting at Bernalillo Town Hall Sept. 23 and wrapped business within an hour.

The Bernalillo Town Council included Mayor Jack Torres and Councilors Vincent Montoya, Gerred Prairie, Sharon Torres-Quintana and Phillip Valverde.

Despite the quick meeting, some interesting discussions came out of public comment.

First, was a fencing dispute.

Tres Nietas Inc.’s Darrell Julian filed an appeal of the Planning and Zoning Commission’s decision to deny a request to allow an 8-inch solid fence at 321 S. Hill Road. Tres Nietas Inc. built a fence around its property. However, the fence was constructed prior to a permit being filed.

According to Julian, there was an oversight on his part. He said it was a “misunderstanding of the required process” and that going forward they will comply with all necessary regulations.

Julian also mentioned that theft was a problem, which contributed to the construction of the fence. Torres said that exceptions could not be made as they would “set the wrong precedent for other owners.” Torres and Julian discussed the stealing and whether it was inside Julian’s building or if it was a matter of people trespassing. The Town Council voted unanimously to uphold the denial.

Another public hearing made was by Kaktus Brewing Company owner Dana Koller, who requested approval for a Restaurant B license from the state’s Alcohol and Gaming Division in order to serve beer, wine and spirits.

Kaktus Brewing currently has a beer, wine and local spirits license, but with a Restaurant B license, the spirits would not have to be local.

Koller pointed out that his business could only buy spirits from New Mexico distilleries under the current local license. However, New Mexico distilleries could not accommodate the high demand, which in turn causes increases in prices and low supply. Koller also mentioned that it would be difficult for local businesses to compete with big businesses like Applebee’s. The Town Council voted unanimously for approval.