What do beer and tow trucks have in common?
For more than 30 years, Chattanooga’s Beer and Wrecker Board has made decisions regarding two unrelated pieces of city code. But that's about to change.
Graphic by Ian-Alijah Bey
By Trista Ridge
It was a marriage of convenience. Chattanooga's Beer and Wrecker Board formed as single body more than 30 years ago to oversee both beer and wrecker permits. Previously, the Chattanooga Police Department was responsible for managing beer and wrecker permits, but in the 1980s the department handed over the management of both types of permits to a citizen-run board.
Soon, though, the Chattanooga Beer and Wrecker Board is splitting into separate bodies, and the City Council will be presented with a totally new beer ordinance.
We spoke with Chris Anderson, Chattanooga’s Senior Advisor for Legislative Initiatives, who told us, “It’s a common sense reform the mayor and our administration identified. The two topics really don’t have anything to do with each other and there’s no reason for them to be grouped together.”
Beer Board
The major function of the Chattanooga Beer Board is to approve applications and renewals for beer permits. The beer board also has the power to issue penalties and revoke permits when a permit holder breaks federal, state, or city laws.
Local ordinances called the beer code regulate the sale and consumption of beer, such as when it can be sold, where open containers are allowed, and the reasons a business can lose its permit.
Nine members of the beer board are appointed by the Chattanooga mayor, and they hold their terms for three years. Businesses, event organizers, or others seeking a permit must appear in person before the board during one of its regularly scheduled meetings, which occur on the first and third Thursdays of each month.
Wrecker Board
A wrecker is a type of tow truck with a large boom and extra cable on the winch that allows for vehicle recovery, not just towing and hauling.
The wrecker board, which currently has the same nine members as the beer board, has the authority to approve, revoke, or suspend district wrecker permits. Typically, those filing for permits are business owners, but if a wrecker is bought for personal use, it must also be listed with the city.
The board also oversees the required equipment and care and maintenance for every city-issued wrecker.
The split
Once split, the beer board will become its own entity, and the wrecker board will be absorbed by the passenger vehicle for hire board, which consists of seven members and falls under transportation code.
One issue the joint board faced was meeting times.
“The passenger vehicle for hire board has light agendas usually,” Anderson said. “While some beer and wrecker board meetings go many hours.”
The new, rewritten beer code will be submitted to the City Council in the next few weeks. We don’t have specifics on what will be included yet, though Anderson said, “The overall theme will be modernization and professionalization of our processes related to all types of beer permits."
Anderson said the current beer ordinances have some outdated and unreasonable language. For example, it states that moral judgments can be made by members of the board, and members are often asked to act in a judicial capacity.
In the fall of 2022, the wrecker board language was reformed and adapted into the current city code, so it will not change when it becomes part of the passenger vehicle for hire board.
Board members will not change as a result of the split.
How to join a city board
There are a number of citizen committees, boards, and commissions that advise our city government on everything from public art, to the public library, to historic zoning. To see current openings, click on the “Vacancies” tab on the city’s Boards & Commissions web page. If you’d like to serve on a board, you must submit an application stating which one(s) you’re most interested in joining. Members are nominated and appointed by the mayor and city council. Any citizen residing within the City of Chattanooga can apply.