West Windsor Council last month approved an ordinance allowing the township to issue hotel liquor licenses the highest bidder.##M:[more]##
The ordinance is a compromise version of a more stringent measure vetoed by Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh in November that required all hotels in the township to bid on licenses. The mayor argued it was unfair to force the Palmer Inn and the Hyatt Regency, which have had state-issued licenses for almost two decades, to bid on the liquor licenses they already hold.
The ordinance was approved by a 4-0 vote. Councilman Charlie Morgan, who was absent from the meeting, has opposed the measure and said he would have voted against it because it should be applied to every hotel in the township.
The new ordinance only applies to new liquor license applicants for hotels that are 100 rooms or more. It also grandfathers the licenses held by the Palmer Inn and the Hyatt. The new ordinance also prohibits the transfer of licenses from one hotel to another, although it would allow existing licenses to be transferred to new ownership of a hotel.
