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(Several readers recently have noticed the signs saying Roscoe's on College Drive is still open. They asked how this could be the case, since the Decorah City Council recently voted not to renew the tavern's license) The Answer Person says: "Yes, the Decorah City Council didn't renew the liquor license of Roscoe's (https://decorahnews.com/news/2505/decorah-city-council-denies-license-renewal-application-of-the-owners-of-roscoes/). However, that's just the start of a long process—not the end of it. The owners of Roscoe's have 30 days from August 2nd to decide whether to appeal the city council's action to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division of the State of Iowa. That begins a long administrative and judicial process which could take until late fall or early winter. Roscoe's would be able to continue operating all the time a decision is pending. The reports on alleged liquor law violations by local police, fire and health officials are sent to the ABD in Des Moines, which reviews them and forwards them to the Iowa Department of Justice. An Assistant Attorney General files an administrative hearing complaint if she or he thinks the issue deserves a hearing. An administrative law judge hears from witnesses, looks at evidence and reviews arguments at the hearing, then issues a proposed decision. That's not the end of the process, however. There's a 30-day period where either party can ask for a review by an ABD administrator. That administrator issues a final ruling—which, despite its name, is not necessarily the final decision. The case can be appealed to district court, where the tavern owners can ask for a stay of enforcement while the district court acts. That ruling isn't the final word necessarily, either. The district court decision can be appealed to Iowa appellate courts, which issue the final resolution. Whew! In other words, the owners of Roscoe's have every right to continue operating while the decision to not renew the tavern's license works its way through a lot of different layers of review.

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It could be quite a few months before the fate of Roscoe's liquor license is determined