BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Bloomington voters on Tuesday approved a ballot question, which is the first step to bringing taprooms to the city.
Despite being the fourth most populated city in Minnesota, Bloomington's current city charter doesn't allow for taprooms.
"I don't want to say totally archaic, but [it's] a little archaic that we don't have them here," said Bloomington resident Anita Smithson during an interview with KARE 11 in September.
Smithson and her husband were behind a campaign which encouraged people to vote 'yes' on the ballot question, which will delete the section of the city's charter which regulates alcohol. From there, the city council will have the power to pass an ordinance related to taprooms.
The way it stands now, Bloomington's city charter doesn't allow for what has quickly become a popular pastime in Minnesota: Drinking beer in taprooms connected to the brewery where the beer is brewed.
The city charter allows on-sale liquor and beer at restaurants and brew pubs, but they must regularly serve meals - and many breweries don't.
"When we moved in, it was just like 'hey let's find a spot to go.'" said Joe Smithson, Anita's husband and fellow Bloomington resident. "We enjoy going to taprooms, and it was a struggle to find something, so we always had to go to a different city."
The ballot question was approved with 77-percent of voters voting 'yes.'
