HERMANN – The owner of the Copper Mule distillery is asking the Gasconade County Commission to consider cutting the annual liquor license fee assessed to the spirit maker.

Don Gosen on Thursday morning said the $1,255 fee charged by the county is the same amount charged by the state. But, he added, state government does much more for distilleries for the money than does the county.

“What does Gasconade County do for that” fee? Gosen asked during the Commission’s regular weekly session. The businessman was making his argument not because he has to pay the county fee, but, he said, “This is all about principle.”

State law governing distilleries dates back to 1939 and it allows counties to impose the same amount as the state fee. County Clerk Lesa Lietzow said records show that about 40 years county administrator acted accordingly in setting a county liquor license by mirroring the state’s amount.

Gosen leveled a complaint at state lawmakers, arguing that the distilling industry is treated much differently than the wine industry and breweries.

“I feel like we’re put on the back burner, paying all these fees,” he said.

He conceded that the distilling industry has yet to develop an effective lobbying effort.

“It’s such a young industry,” he said, pointing to the Missouri Craft Distillers Association as its voice in Jefferson City.

Gosen said other counties who assess high fees to distilleries are beginning to ease up, he said. “Other counties across the state, little by little, are starting to make changes,” he told the Commission.

Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann, said he doesn’t want to make any changes until more information is available. “We probably need to see what the ramifications are” of reducing the fee. But, he added, “I’m not opposed to it.” However, he said such a move might prod the county’s wineries and breweries to come asking for cuts in their liquor license fees.

“If you could come up with some way to help us out we’d appreciate it,” Holland said.

Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte, R-Hermann, said the administrators need some time to consider Gosen’s request. “Let us chew on it a little bit,” Schulte said.

Gosen has raised the issue of the county’s liquor license fee previously with her office, Lietzow told the Commission. Gasconade County receives about $40,000 a year in liquor license fees, the county clerk said.

In other matters, the Commission opened five bids for tires for the Road Department equipment. Tires are bid on a yearly basis, along with other items used for road maintenance. Bids were received from Ozarko Tire Center of West Plains for a variety of tires; two bids from Jost Tires of Owensville, one for truck tires and the other for road grader tires; and two bids from Purcell Tire of Washington, one for truck tires and the other for grader tires.

The bids will be forwarded to the Road Department for consideration and a recommendation on which bids to accept. A substantial amount of money is spent each year on tires for the various trucks and other equipment. It was noted that a grader tire can cost as much as $1,800.

Regarding the road agency and its ongoing effort to deal with storm damage, Schulte publicly thanked department Co-Supervisors Todd Troyer and Dennis Godi for going out on July 4 to respond to trees and branches that were blown down in one of the latest storms that came through the county.