The administrator who runs the state’s liquor business says things appeared to go well in the first big holiday since the state’s new law requiring kegs to be registered went into effect July 1st. Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division administrator, Lynn Walding, says they had things ready to go well before the law started.
Walding says they had everything out to the merchants one month ago so they could have the registration stickers purchased and ready to go. Retailers go on-line and purchase the stickers. Walding says the new law adds a small amount to the cost of a beer keg. The beverages division absorbed the staff costs, but Walding says retailers are charged for the registration stickers. A booklet of 25 stickers costs $25, or roughly 20 cents per keg, a cost Walding says retailers likely will pass on to consumers.
The new state law overrides any local ordinances. He says there were 27 counties that had keg registration laws, with Decatur, Marshall and Hamilton counties having laws that would have gone into effect on July 1st, and three cities that had keg registration ordinances. Walding says the statewide electronic system should make it easier for everyone.
Walding says the uniform state law allows wholesalers to operate more efficiently as they don’t have to operate with several different laws. Walding says the new law only applies to kegs purchased for private use.