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Committee Rejects Settlement Between City Officials, Surdyk's

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A regulatory committee in Minneapolis rejected Tuesday the revised settlement between city officials and the Northeast liquor store Surdyk's, which is facing punishment for selling booze on a Sunday last month.

A spokesperson for the city says the Community Development and Regulatory Services Committee shot down a proposed settlement that would have had Surdyk's paying $6,000 in civil penalties and losing its liquor license for 10 days.

The proposed punishment was considerably more lenient than the initial crackdown from the city, which sought to strip the business of its liquor license for 30 days. The punishment was set to go into effect on July 2, the first Sunday liquor store sales are slated to be legal in Minnesota.

Looking ahead, Surdyk's and city officials can attempt to reach another agreement ahead of a May 16 committee meeting, the city spokesperson said. If a new agreement is unable to be reached, the committee will hold a hearing to consider and impose a proper penalty.

The struggle between the city and Surdyk's began on March 12, when the liquor store's owner, Jim Surdyk, decided to open his business on a Sunday following the repeal of the decades-old blue law that banned Sunday liquor sales.

While customers lined up for the novel experience of buying a 6-pack on a Sunday in Minneapolis, the decision upset Surdyk's employees and other liquor store owns. A city official also warned Surdyk the day of that there'd be repercussions, but he refused to close the store.

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