Is it an important safeguard or is it an unnecessary regulation?

Town officials are proposing a change to the Barrington Liquor Training ordinance, which requires people serving alcohol in town to complete an annual training program. The BAY Team, Barrington’s substance abuse task force, runs the program. 

The ordinance functions in addition to the state’s TIPS program, which requires servers to undergo training once every three years. 

If the proposed ordinance is approved, business owners will only need to complete the town’s training program for the years that they do not have the state training. 

Members of the Barrington Economic Development Commission recommended the Town Council remove the town ordinance and allow the state’s training program to stand alone as the requirement. 

At the Sept. 11 meeting, EDC member Kas DeCarvalho said the Barrington Liquor Training ordinance started in 2010 and has not been altered since. He said the net effect of the ordinance is that business owners have to spend additional money to send their employees to the training — he said the BLT has been the equivalent of an additional tax for Barrington business owners.

DeCarvalho said Barrington is the only municipality in the state to have the additional training requirement. He said EDC members believe the state statute is enough. 

Denise Alves does not agree. 

Alves is the director of the BAY Team and is passionate about prevention. She told members of the Barrington Town Council that Barrington has a history of alcohol-related tragedies and the community should take every possible precaution to limit the chances for future tragedies. 

During her time at the microphone, Alves listed off the names of Barrington teenagers who died in alcohol-related accidents and incidents in the past. She said that even with the additional training program, the town still has to work hard to address alcohol-related problems. 

DeCarvalho said it was appropriate for the town to consider the additional measures back in 2010 when the community was experiencing the tragedies. He added that officials should have considered a sunset clause or a time to review the ordinance. 

The EDC is recommending that the town table the Barrington Liquor Training program for 12 to 24 months and see what consequences are — “See if they’re cataclysmic, which they won’t be,” he said.

DeCarvalho said EDC members and business owners are aware of Barrington’s history but added that it is difficult to prove that the additional liquor service training program has a direct impact on it.  

He said the time had come for Barrington to fall in-line with the rest of the state.

Alves disagreed. 

“It’s about keeping safeguards in place,” she said. 

Alves said it is difficult to prove the effectiveness or show data supporting prevention efforts, but she pushed back against the idea of pausing the Barrington Liquor Training program, as EDC members had suggested. 

She said the thought of stopping the program “just to see what happens” goes against everything that she works for. 

Alves added that there is evidence that the program is still needed — she pointed to recent alcohol compliance check failures by local businesses and underage drinking arrests made by the Barrington Police Department. 

“We’re having failures and this is with the training,” Alves said. 

Police endorsement

Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia said the additional alcohol training program can be beneficial. 

Chief Correia told Council members that the community should be commended for trying to address the alcohol-related tragedies it experienced. He also said there is still a demand for alcohol by local juveniles. 

Chief Correia said the police department cited 14 underage individuals with possession of alcohol in the past few months. He listed off some of the specific arrests. He also referenced some of the recent failed alcohol compliance checks. 

“It tells me that there is still an issue with alcohol. As there is in every community,” he said. 

Chief Correia said the program, when implemented properly — with an emphasis on education and deterring risky behavior — can be worthwhile. He said it is something the town should continue. 

How it started

During the meeting, Barrington Town Council member Rob Humm asked DeCarvalho how the EDC first came to consider its recommendation. 

DeCarvalho said the the issue surfaced with film festivals and other temporary events taking place in town. He said some businesses that had considered visiting Barrington for the events pulled out because of the additional alcohol serving training requirement and what it would cost them financially. 

Humm asked if the recommendation by the EDC was an all or nothing proposal.

DeCarvalho said there is already a state statute in place. But, he added, that it was not an all or nothing proposition. He then suggested pausing the program for a period of time.

During the meeting, Humm said the EDC proposal had twice come before the Council but he was yet to hear from a single business owner about the issue. 

Later in the meeting, Brian Thimme, the owner of Bluewater Bar and Grill, spoke to the Council. Thimme said it is difficult and costly to have the employees attend the annual training. He said he has about 25 employees who must be paid $40 for the two-hour training session. That equals a thousand bucks, Thimme said. 

The local restaurant owner also questioned some of the content shared during the training sessions — there was a question about whether it was pertinent to teach restaurant staff about drug overdose response. 

Thimme said he agreed with the state training requirement or even making the local training every other year. 

Barrington resident Heather Ryan spoke out during the meeting. She said it was wrong for the town to remove an important safety net. 

Alves questioned whether the community was willing to remove the local ordinance. She said Barrington has not had an alcohol-related tragedy in years. Alves said officials can’t say for sure that it is because of the alcohol server training program, but they can’t say it isn’t either. 

Council motion

In the end, Council member Braxton Cloutier made a motion to draft an ordinance that exempts business owners from the town training program as long as they have completed the state certification. Humm seconded the motion, which passed 4-0. 

There will be a public hearing for the proposed ordinance at an upcoming Council meeting.