Washington State Liquor Control Board history, facts

Associated Press

Here are key facts about the Washington State Liquor Control Board:

Established in 1934 after Prohibition ended, the three-member board appointed by the governor enforces laws on liquor and tobacco, as well as distributing hard liquor and wine.

Daily operations are run by administrative director Pat Kohler, who began work Jan. 1. She replaced Bonnie Boyle, who left the agency in July. The director job was created at the recommendation of a citizen panel convened in 1999.

The agency buys and distributes all hard liquor sold in the state. Private operators are permitted to sell wine and some malt beverages, although the state also offers those for sale.

A total of 1,265 employees work for the board, the majority of them in retail sales.

The current board chairman, Merritt Long, is a former director of the Washington State Lottery whose six-year term began in July. Vera Ing is also a board member; the third slot is vacant after Kathy Kreiter resigned last month.

The board has 315 retail stores. Half are state-owned, mainly in cities, and half are contractor-owned outlets in small towns and rural areas.

The agency distributed $209 million in excess funds to the state general fund, state agencies and local governments in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2001.

The agency’s current two-year budget is $140 million.

The stores are profitable: An analysis posted on the liquor board’s Web site shows net profit on retail sales for the year ended June 30, 2000 was $1.7 million.

Washington is one of 18 states that hold monopoly control over hard liquor.

Gov. Gary Locke appointed an 18-member Retail Liquor Sales Tax Force in April 2000, headed by Bernie Dochnahl of Bellevue, to consider changes in the liquor board. In December 2000, the task force issued a report saying it voted 11-5 to recommend maintaining the current system with improvements. A minority report favored privately operated liquor stores.