Cordova City Council waives protest of Moose Caboose liquor license renewal

The Cordova City Council voted Wednesday to waive its right to protest the state renewal of seasonal liquor license No. 2587, held by The Moose Caboose.

The beverage dispensary license belongs to Copper River and Northwest Limited, Inc. City records name Rebekah Chapek as the designated licensee. Council Member Mike Mickelson said the location used by the rental car operation was sold, but the Moose Caboose business was not. The owner still owns the building, he said. He did not think the state land lease was still in her name or one of her corporations' names, and he was unsure of the arrangement with the car rental.

"It's open the minimum amount of days that it needs to be open to be able to continue to keep this license, and it's operated that way for a few years now," Mickelson said. Another council member said the license does not appear to bring in revenue for the city.

Proving that is another matter, Mickelson said. He said the city raised the owner's hours with the state in 2022, and she answered with receipts. She also collects and remits sales tax to the city. The state requirement is 240 hours a year. "Until somebody sits there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for at least a few months that she says she's open, I mean, how do we know that she's open or not?" Mickelson said. A protest would also require the council to give the owner a chance to make her case before it, he said.

"It all comes down to that we have too many liquor licenses for the city of Cordova based on population because they were grandfathered in from when the that the rule was different," Mickelson said. If a protest led to the license being dissolved, he said, it would not be in Cordova any longer. He called the license an asset for the owner. A council member said it is not revenue today but could be future revenue.

Mickelson called the question on the motion to "waive the right to protest," and members approved it by voice vote. The council faced the same choice on this license in July 2024, according to the July 2024 council packet.

The city can protest each year, not only at the two-year renewals, Mickelson said. The owner's hours for 2026 and 2027 will count toward the 2028 renewal.