Amy Word seeks to sell Lamasco amid expiring liquor license and missed tax payments

UPDATE: Word paid the property taxes on Thursday, Sept. 21, and explained the issue to the Courier & Press. You can find the follow-up story here.

EVANSVILLE — There are unpaid taxes, a denied alcoholic beverage license that expires Oct. 8, a narcotics investigation and a finding by regulators that the place is a public nuisance — but school board member Amy Word seeks to sell Lamasco Bar & Grill for more than $1 million.

Word might be able to command that much for the popular Franklin Street establishment. The real estate ad cites among the property's assets "potential for additional revenue," "room for expansion and future growth," "includes all furniture, fixtures and equipment" and "liquor license included."

But that last one is problematic, with recent developments potentially posing challenges to any new owner and serving as a reminder of the felony criminal charge Word faces. She has pleaded not guilty to one count of the Level 6 felony, "maintaining a common nuisance – controlled substances," and has mounted a spirited public defense against the charge linking her to drug use and dealing at Lamasco.

More: Ahead of trial, Amy Word and her attorney go on the offensive against witnesses, police

The Alcoholic Beverage Board of Vanderburgh County voted Aug. 8 to recommend denial of Lamasco's permit renewal application. According to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (ATC), the local board stated "that it believed the permit premises had become a public nuisance as defined in (Indiana Administrative Code)." A week later, ATC took the local board's recommendation to deny renewal of Lamasco's permit.

"Commissioner (Marjorie) Maginn stated this permittee has had several violations — one while on the PACE (Proactive Alcohol Compliance Enforcement) Program. The commissioner feels the business has become a public nuisance," state minutes of the ATC meeting.

Another commissioner said PACE "is similar to a corrective action plan that is supposed to be a vehicle to help permittees keep or get on the right track as far as operating the business lawfully and should be taken seriously," according to the minutes.

More: A judge granted two witnesses immunity to testify against school board member Amy Word

Lamasco is now operating under a 90-day permit extension that expires on October 8, according to ATC. Word has requested an administrative appeal of the denial. As of Wednesday morning, no date was listed for that hearing, according to ATC.

Lamasco closed for 10 days in June due to alleged violations of Indiana's Alcoholic Beverage Act. The Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission temporarily suspended Lamasco's privilege to sell alcohol. Initially, Word publicly stated the bar would close for "spring cleaning," though she later clarified that the 10-day shutdown was a pre-arranged sanction imposed by the board shortly after her arrest.

At the time, Word took aim at local media outlets for regularly covering her ongoing court case and developments at Lamasco Bar & Grill.

What does Amy Word say?

Word did not acknowledge text or phone messages seeking comment on her proposed sale of Lamasco or the legal issues swirling around it.

The school board member announced her intention to sell Lamasco in a contemplative Facebook post Monday lamenting personal sacrifices she has made over 15 years of owning the establishment and declaring she is "giddy with anticipation of the unknown."

"This past year has taken me in directions never predicted and a storm that has been like no other," Word wrote. "BUT, it has also been this incredible blessing of bringing EVERYTHING into focus, and analyzing what matters most. What do I want to feel, enjoy, do, not do, be and not be for the next half of my life? What am I craving to explore, seek, and what new adventures do I want for myself? What will a hyper focus on self feel like for me?"

Another potential complication

According to the Vanderburgh County Treasurer's Office, the property at 1331 W. Franklin St. — Lamasco's address — is more than $7,500 in arrears on its county property taxes. The county did not receive the spring or previous fall's installments of property taxes on the structure, which has an assessed value of $211,500.

Another $3,367 will come due by Nov. 13. If that and the already-owed money isn't paid, it will constitute three consecutive seasonal installments of unpaid county property taxes. Under Indiana law, that's when a property can go to tax sale if the owner doesn't set up a payment plan or pay what is due. The next tax sale in Vanderburgh County, though, is a year down the road — September 2024.

More: EVSC board approves leave of absence for Amy Word following July 30 arrest

Word was elected to a four-year term on the school board in 2020. She has not acknowledged messages about her school board seat, which comes up for election again next year. She has been on an unpaid leave of absence from the school board since her July 2022 arrest.

Though she is an elected official, Word has repeatedly complained on social media about the attention paid to her legal issues by news organizations. After posting on Facebook Monday about the sale of Lamasco, she posted what she called, "BREAKING NEWS!"

"What in the hell is the local media going to do without me?!?!???" the school board member wrote. "Thoughts and prayers for the end of the easy Amy clicks!!!"

Houston Harwood contributed to this report and can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Amy Word seeks to sell Lamasco as liquor license, tax issues loom