February 9, 2017

 

Mr. Will Britt

Owner

Title Town Nightlife, LLC., DBA: Dillinger’s

115 Park Ave.

Statesboro, GA  30458

 

Mr. Britt,

 

On behalf of the Mayor and Council of the City of Americus, GA, I am providing you with this notice regarding your Alcohol License for Dillinger’s located at 120 North Lee Street.

 

As you are aware, the license that is currently in effect at the above location is only temporary pending the final approval and granting of the permanent Alcohol License by the City of Americus Mayor and Council.  While you have paid the fees by the 12/31/16 deadline, the Council has to approve all renewals.  Your application was not filed in sufficient time for it to be approved with the majority of the other license holders at the December 2016 Council meeting.  An affirmative vote has to be cast by the Council for the renewal to be official.  This vote has not occurred but will occur at the February 23^rd Mayor and Council meeting.  Simply paying the fees does not guarantee issuance of an Alcohol License.

 

Additionally, on November 21, 2016, you and Mr. Cox met with several City staff members and myself to discuss our continued concerns and frustration with the operation of Dillinger’s by you and your staff.  We discussed many items that needed attention and you provided us with some efforts that you were going to take to change the reputation and perception of Dillinger’s.  In fact, you agreed to provide me with a letter that recapped the meeting which was to include your understanding of our concerns and expectations as well as you were going to capture all of the things that you were planning for Dillinger’s.  I have yet to receive anything from you or Mr. Cox regarding this letter.  At this meeting you were assured that if we had any further issues out of Dillinger’s that you understood that your Alcohol License could be in jeopardy.  You acknowledged this admonition and committed to adhere to our requests along with proceeding with your internal plans for Dillinger’s. Again, we have not received anything from either of you.

 

At the meeting referenced above, you were provided with a 40 page report that reflected all of the times that the Americus Police Department responded to your location at 120 North Lee Street since November 17, 2015 until November 17, 2016.  While this information is more than sufficient to indicate the absence of you and your staff’s commitment to operating a business in compliance with local ordinances and State law, we have even had a couple other incidences since the first of the 2017 year.  Since our November 21, 2016 meeting, we have had the following incidents at Dillinger’s.  One of the incidences was on January 28, 2017 where an 18 year old was allowed to enter your location with a blood alcohol level of .276.  This level was confirmed at the Phoebe Sumter hospital when the person was taken to the Emergency room.  As you are keenly aware, his .276 blood alcohol level is 3 times the level identified in Georgia as being DUI. Please note the reports and the image of the 18 year old that was injured at Dillinger’s.   Also, associated with this incident, the individual that was escorted out of Dillinger’s for instigating this disturbance with the 18 year old was not even taken around to the Off Duty Police officer you had hired that was parked behind your premises.  Please note the image of the 18 year old that was injured at Dillinger’s.  This is hardly working with local authorities to operate your business in a compliant and cooperative manner. There was also a fight at your location on January 13, 2017 and when the police arrived on the scene folks were leaving but it was confirmed that the incident originated in your location and had spread outside.  This sort of activity is not acceptable and will not continue to be tolerated.

 

In conclusion, the purpose of this letter is to make you and Mr. Cox aware of the fact that there is a high probability that the Alcohol License at Dillinger’s, 120 North Lee Street, will not be renewed based on the 40 page report of incidences that you were provided as well as the more recent incidences cited above which reflect your disregarding the City Ordinances and related State Law.  As indicated above, that vote will be taken at the Mayor and City Council meeting to be held on February 23, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. at the Russell Thomas Public Safety Building at 119 South Lee Street.

 

Regards,

CITY OF AMERICUS

 

 

 

1. Steve Kennedy

City Manager

 

 

 

 

Cc:  Michael Heath Cox