The Ames City Council will meet Tuesday to discuss the renewal of Sips and Paddy’s Irish Pub’s Class C liquor license and the approval of street permits for Greek Week. 

The Ames Police Department does not recommend that Paddy’s and Sips be granted their 12-month liquor license. So far in 2021, there have been 20 citations already given for being underage at these establishments. The Police Department would not object to a six-month license rather than 12 to give the two bars a chance to reduce violations.

Additionally, the Council will be discussing whether to approve or deny requests from the Greek Week Committee. The committee requests that multiple streets be closed around Greekland on March 27 and 28. The streets will be used for the annual Greek Week events.

The Council will also be addressing the criteria of the proposed Small Arts Grant Program. The program is intended to offer grants to local artists for up to $10,000 to create art projects that will contribute to the Ames community. The program is being developed by the Public Art Commission (PAC) and the Commission on the Arts (COTA). 

The proposed criteria for the grant would require that recipients be an individual artist or group of artists, a resident of Ames, not an organization or governmental entity and ineligible for funding from the COTA Annual Grant and Special Project Grant Programs. To receive funding, projects must benefit the residents of Ames, contribute to making Ames a fun and vibrant community and involve the public either in the creation or observation of the project.

If accepted, projects would need to be completed between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. 

Ward 3 Rep. David Martin wrote in his weekly previews there were several items that are not on the agenda so the Council “won’t deliberate them substantially.” After the Council seeks more information from city staff, the items will be put on a future agenda for deliberation and possible action. Those items include an Emergency Broadband Benefit for low-income households and a request from an Ames church for an exemption to the city’s mask mandate.

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday and will be held over Zoom. The meeting will also be able to be viewed live on the Ames Channel 12 YouTube channel and on the city of Ames’ website or Mediacom’s channel 12.