Opinion ID: 1611827
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Analysis of Merits.

Text: During the times relevant herein, the 1984 version of § 53-132 governed the Commission's issuance or denial of retail liquor licenses. Subsequent to 1984 and prior to the proceedings herein, the Legislature made various attempts to amend § 53-132, but such amendments have been ruled unconstitutional or unenforceable. Specific cases include Bosselman, Inc. v. State, 230 Neb. 471, 432 N.W.2d 226 (1988) (declaring 1986 Neb. Laws, L.B. 911 unconstitutional); Kwik Shop v. City of Lincoln, 243 Neb. 178, 498 N.W.2d 102 (1993) (declaring 1989 Neb. Laws, L.B. 781 unconstitutional); and Marting v. Nebraska Liquor Control Comm., 250 Neb. 134, 548 N.W.2d 326 (1996) (finding 1993 Neb. Laws, L.B. 183, unenforceable). We note that in 1999, the Legislature rewrote the Nebraska Liquor Control Act pertaining to issuance or denial of retail liquor licenses. See 1999 Neb. Laws, L.B. 267. However, because the proceedings before the Commission herein occurred in 1997, the 1984 version of § 53-132 controlled the Commission's decision. See Marting, supra . The 1984 version of § 53-132(2) states: A retail license ... shall be issued to any qualified applicant if it is found by the commission that (a) the applicant is fit, willing, and able to properly provide the service proposed within the city, village, or county where the premises described in the application are located, (b) the applicant can conform to all provisions, requirements, rules and regulations provided for in the Nebraska Liquor Control Act, (c) the applicant has demonstrated that the type of management and control exercised over the licensed premises will be sufficient to insure [sic] that the licensed business can conform to all provisions, requirements, rules, and regulations provided for in the Nebraska Liquor Control Act, and (d) the issuance of the license is or will be required by the present or future public convenience and necessity. The statute further provides at § 53-132(3), that in making its determination pursuant to § 53-132(2), the Commission shall consider: (a) The recommendation of the local governing body; (b) The existence of a citizens' protest made in accordance with section 53-133; (c) The existing population of the city, village, or county, as the case may be, and its projected growth; (d) The nature of the neighborhood or community of the location of the proposed licensed premises; (e) The existence or absence of other retail licenses or bottle club licenses with similar privileges within the neighborhood or community of the location of the proposed licensed premises; (f) The existing motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow in the vicinity of the proposed licensed premises; (g) The adequacy of existing law enforcement; (h) Zoning restrictions; (i) The sanitation or sanitary conditions on or about the proposed licensed premises; and (j) Whether the type of business or activity proposed to be operated in conjunction with the proposed license is and will be consistent with the public interest. Statutory interpretation presents a question of law, in connection with which an appellate court has an obligation to reach an independent conclusion irrespective of the decision of the court below. In re Estate of Dickie, 261 Neb. 533, 623 N.W.2d 666 (2001). In the absence of anything to the contrary, statutory language is to be given its plain and ordinary meaning; an appellate court will not resort to interpretation to ascertain the meaning of statutory words which are plain, direct, and unambiguous. Gibbons v. Don Williams Roofing, 261 Neb. 470, 623 N.W.2d 662 (2001). A court will construe statutes relating to the same subject matter together so as to maintain a consistent and sensible scheme. Gottsch Feeding Corp. v. State, 261 Neb. 19, 621 N.W.2d 109 (2001). Giving § 53-132(2) and (3) a plain and ordinary reading and construing them consistently, it is clear that in order to issue a retail liquor license, the Commission must find that each of the conditions specified in § 53-132(2)(a) through (d) are satisfied and that in making its determination whether such conditions are satisfied, the Commission must consider each of the factors listed in § 53-132(3)(a) through (j). In its order dated November 26, 1997, as to § 53-132(2), the Commission found that the conditions enumerated in § 53-132(2)(a) through (d) were satisfied. The Commission specifically found that with respect to § 53-132(2)(a), Kabredlo's was fit, willing and able to provide the proposed services. As to § 53-132(3), the order further stated that the Commission found that all the factors set forth in 53-132(3) have been considered. Based on such findings, the Commission ordered that Kabredlo's application be approved and that a license be issued. The City objects to the Commission's decision, which was affirmed by the district court and Court of Appeals, in which the Commission found that pursuant to § 53-132(2)(a), Kabredlo's was fit, willing, and able to provide the proposed services notwithstanding the fact that the record before the Commission showed that zoning restrictions prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages at the subject location and that Kabredlo's had in fact been denied the special use permit which would permit it to sell alcohol in a B-3 zoning district. The City argues, and we agree, that in determining whether an applicant satisfies the condition in § 53-132(2)(a) of being fit, willing, and able to properly provide the service proposed within the city, village, or county where the premises described in the application are located, the Commission is required to consider the factors listed in § 53-132(3), including [z]oning restrictions, § 53-132(3)(h). The record before the Commission showed that Kabredlo's had not complied with the local zoning regulations because it had not been issued a special use permit. Therefore, in the instant case, a de novo review of the record shows that Kabredlo's was not able to provide the proposed service because the proposed service was located in a zoning district which prohibited the proposed service and that Kabredlo's had not been granted relief from such restriction. The Commission erred in approving Kabredlo's application for a liquor license, and the district court and Court of Appeals erred in affirming the Commission's decision. The record in this case indicates that under Lincoln zoning ordinances, the sale of alcohol is prohibited in B-3 zoning districts in the absence of a special use permit. The record further shows that a special use permit may be obtained from the city and such permit would allow the sale of alcohol in a B-3 zoning district, the type of zoning district in which Kabredlo's North 27th Street location is situated. The record clearly indicates that Kabredlo's had been denied a special use permit to sell alcohol at its North 27th Street location and therefore had not complied with zoning regulations. In the instant case, [z]oning restrictions, § 53-132(3)(h), prohibit Kabredlo's from legally selling beer at the North 27th Street location. Accordingly, Kabredlo's failed to satisfy the condition of § 53-132(2)(a) of being able to properly provide the service proposed ... where the premises described in the application are located. Because the existence of [z]oning restrictions, § 53-132(3)(h), is one of the factors to be considered in determining whether the conditions enumerated in § 53-132(2) are satisfied, § 53-132(2) and (3) taken together, Gottsch Feeding Corp., supra, clearly anticipate that in certain situations, an applicant will be unable to provide the service proposed in the premises described due to zoning restrictions. This is such a case. We note that in its order, the district court stated that § 53-132 does not make the criteria in subsection 3 controlling on the Commission's decision. We further note that the Court of Appeals in its opinion stated that the criteria in subsection (3) of 53-132 do not control the Commission's decision, but must simply be considered by the Commission. City of Lincoln v. Nebraska Liquor Control Comm., 9 Neb.App. 390, 401, 612 N.W.2d 252, 259 (2000). The Court of Appeals also stated that the record did not indicate a legitimate reason for denying the license. Id. While we do not hold that any one of the factors listed in § 53-132(3) invariably controls the decision to grant or deny an application for a liquor license, § 53-132(3) states that the Commission shall consider the listed factors, and we read the statute to require a consideration of each of the listed factors in determining whether the conditions of § 53-132(2) have been satisfied. A court must attempt to give effect to all parts of a statute, and if it can be avoided, no word, clause, or sentence will be rejected as superfluous or meaningless. Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Servs. v. Struss,, 261 Neb. 435, 623 N.W.2d 308 (2001). The inclusion of [z]oning restrictions in § 53-132(3)(h) is neither superfluous nor meaningless. It is one of the factors to be considered and indicates that the Legislature contemplated that in certain instances, zoning restrictions could prevent an applicant from satisfying the conditions listed in § 53-132(2). In the present case, we determine that a consideration of the controlling zoning restrictions, § 53-132(3)(h), as they relate to the conditions listed in § 53-132(2)(a) through (d), leads to the conclusion that Kabredlo's had not complied with the zoning regulations and therefore did not satisfy the condition found at § 53-132(2)(a) of being able to properly provide the service proposed in its application for a retail liquor license at the North 27th Street location. In our de novo review, we determine that the Commission erred when it ignored the zoning restrictions which, on this record, prevent Kabredlo's from being able to properly provide the service proposed ... where the premises described in the application are located. § 53-132(2)(a). The Court of Appeals erred when it affirmed the decision of the district court which had affirmed the issuance of the liquor license to Kabredlo's. Accordingly, we reverse the decision of the Court of Appeals.