The Chattanooga Beer & Wrecker Board appeared in agreement this week that Alan Golds nightclub was in violation of its rule against overcrowding – by at least 123 people – but it couldn’t agree on a punishment.
Five board members in attendance on Thursday voted to pass the case to the June 17 meeting, when one or more of the four members not in attendance could be there to vote.
“We aren’t getting anywhere with this,” said board member Chris Keene after at least two proposals died for lack of a second and several others failed for lack of the needed five votes.
Five members are enough for a quorum, but with that number, the vote has be unanimous. Proposals for punishment ranged from a three-day suspension of the longtime local club’s beer license to a 10-day suspension, which Keene argued was too much because it would put more than a dozen people out of work for that length of time.
The incident in question took place in February of 2020, but the board, which had been operating via virtual meetings during the pandemic, is only now hearing cases of alleged violations now that it is meeting in person. Such cases often include video, written evidence and/or testimonies.