Iowa City staff will recommend rescinding a 14-day alcohol license suspension imposed on The Fieldhouse Bar & Grill, 138 S. Clinton St., after discovering the city code provision used as grounds for the penalty was deleted nearly 11 years ago.
The Iowa City Council voted Jan. 20 to suspend the downtown establishment’s license for 14 days following a public hearing. The suspension had not taken effect because The Fieldhouse appealed the decision.
According to a release, on Feb. 3, city staff reviewing an unrelated matter discovered a 2015 ordinance that created rooftop service areas in Iowa City also deleted Section 4-2-2(B) of the city code — the provision cited in The Fieldhouse suspension.
A third-party codifier responsible for updating the city code after ordinances pass failed to remove the section, allowing it to remain in both paper and electronic versions of the code, according to the city.
City staff confirmed the deletion remains current law and notified The Fieldhouse ownership and the Iowa Department of Revenue, and will recommend the City Council rescind the suspension at its next meeting.
Alcohol sales at The Fieldhouse were not interrupted because the suspension never took effect, the release stated.
Municipal infractions filed against The Fieldhouse for zoning and refuse violations remain in place. The City Council will consider renewal of the establishment’s alcohol license Feb. 17.
