Janesville’s city council paves the way for license requests for beer and hard liquor sales at the future Woodman’s Sports and Convention Center, despite concerns by some council members.

Some council members say they want extra oversight of how third party manager Sports Facilities Management and the city of Janesville manage selling alcohol at the new, city-owned ice arena and convention center.

The council OK’d agreements between the city and Sports Facilities that allow the manager to file for a municipal beer license and state liquor license for full-service alcohol sales — including hard liquor — throughout the entire expanse of the Woodman’s Center’s sports and convention center spaces.

Council member Heather Miller says she has misgivings over hard liquor being sold outside of the Woodman’s Center’s conference and convention center spaces.

Miller says she doesn’t think it’s a necessity to sell hard liquor to crowds at Janesville Jets hockey games or at youth sporting events at the Woodman’s Center. Miller says she does not think anyone needs to order up a “Jack and Coke” while they watch their child figure skating.

Council member Josh Erdman successfully pushed for amendments requiring the city to report to the council any future changes in how alcohol sales run at the Woodman’s Center. He said such reports would ensure continued transparency in the city’s largest-ever public works project.

Erdman initially sought a framework that would give the city council oversight over whether to OK any future changes in alcohol sales at the Woodman’s Center. But he walked that request back when council Vice President Larry Squire said he would not support the council trying to micromanage alcohol sales at the facility.

The city seeks to give Sports Facilities the reins on alcohol sales at the Woodman’s Center because it is not legal for a city to promote revenue-boosting measures at public facilities via alcohol sales.

Still, the city aims to charge Sports Facilities a “user fee” for liquor sales of up to $32,000 a year.

City Neighborhood Services Director Jennifer Petruzzello says Sports Facilities will hash out how it manages alcohol sales when it applies for licenses.

But she says she thinks the main thrust of hard liquor sales would be in the Woodman’s Center’s 28,000-square-foot convention center space, which would host conferences, conventions, dinners and other events.

City Manager Kevin Lahner asked the council not to “make a habit” of injecting extra layers of council oversight into city contracts. He indicated that could bog down administrative processes normally entrusted to city employees under Janesville’s city manager form of government.