Cordova council waives protest of Moose Caboose liquor license despite doubts about its hours

The Cordova City Council voted Wednesday not to protest the state renewal of The Moose Caboose's seasonal liquor license, after council members questioned how often the business is open and the city clerk said the city has no way to prove it falls short of state minimums.

The beverage dispensary license, No. 2587, belongs to Copper River and Northwest Limited, Inc. City records name Rebekah Chapek as the designated licensee.

Council members said the license doesn't appear to generate revenue for the city. "It's not being utilized to its potential. It's open the minimum amount of days that it needs to be open to be able to continue to keep this license," one said.

The city clerk said the city raised the business's hours with the state in 2022, and the owner answered with receipts. She also collects and remits sales tax to the city, the clerk said. The state requires 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?" the clerk said. A protest would also require the council to give the owner a chance to make her case before it.

Cordova has more liquor licenses than its population allows because older ones were grandfathered in, the clerk said, so if a protest led to this one being dissolved, it would not stay in Cordova. "It's not revenue today, but it is future revenue," a council member said.

The council approved the motion to waive its right to protest by voice vote. It faced the same choice on this license in July 2024, according to the council packet from that meeting.

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