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Utah liquor store customers and employees have complained in recent months about everything from lack of inventory to low morale. Gov. Gary Herbert's office has been listening.

The staff is about two weeks into "a very aggressive" 90-day review of state liquor stores operations that include hiring an out-of-state consultant and conducting in-depth employee interviews, said Kristen Cox, executive director of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget, which is overseeing the assessment.

Cox said the consultant is a specialist in retail operations and is looking at, among other items, the liquor supply and inventory management of the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC).

In addition, staff members from the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) have been brought in to interview employees and managers about liquor store policies, low pay, morale and other working conditions. The interviews will be conducted anonymously so employees can speak freely without fear of retribution, Cox said.

Initially, the staff focused on six stores in Salt Lake City, Park City and Ogden, but has since expanded to other stores.

"We're gathering unfiltered information to find out if problems are systemic or just a few people complaining," said Cox, adding that the review team meets weekly with officials from the DABC and has set 30-, 60- and 90-day goals, with a final set of recommendations coming around the end of September.

Using actual data and talking to employees, Cox said the review team hopes to see "where the issues really are, because we can always continue to improve." The review comes at the same time the state Auditors Office is looking into DABC practices.

Cox is hoping the two offices can coordinate their efforts for a "more systemic approach."

"Auditors look at the financial side," she said. "And we have experts in supply chains and supply management. It's important to have the right expertise looking at the system."

If the review uncovers any "obstacles that require policy changes" they will be included in the final recommendations for the governor, Cox said. "But we anticipate that changes can be done within the existing operating budget."

Critics of the DABC say they welcome the review, but remain skeptical.

"The employees are all for talking to DHRM and bringing in a consultant, because it might bring about change," said Kerri Adams, a retired DABC employee who worked as the liquor department's human-resource specialist and training manager and has been acting as an unofficial spokeswoman for employees.

Adams, however, said she knew of no one in the last two weeks who has been interviewed by human resource officials as part of the governor's review.

Sen. Karen Mayne, D-West Valley City, who is working on legislative changes for the DABC, also applauded the review, albeit with reservations. "I'm glad that they are looking at good practices and employee and management problems," she said, adding that any policy changes that come out of the review will only solve a small portion of the DABC's problem.

Mayne said she is still going ahead with legislation that would tie the DABC's budget to growth and require the agency to address the high employee turnover rate and low pay. Under current law, DABC is required to return all its funds to the state, and the Legislature sets the department budget. Most of the liquor funds go into the general operating fund, and sales-tax revenues go toward the school-lunch and public-safety programs.

"[The state has] not been fair or respected loyalty," she said.

"That is why we have this problem. We have not nurtured the DABC and it has come back to roost."

Over the past few months, the DABC has been under fire for a computerized ordering system that employees, customers and restaurant owners say limits stock and causes some stores to run out of popular items. The issue came to a head in March when Ron Harris, a veteran manager at the Metro Wine Store and a critic of the new system, was put on paid leave just days after he announced his retirement.

The controversy seemed to reignite old wounds about the high number of part-time employees at the state-run liquor stores and the low pay, issues that create low morale.

At the same time, the DABC is figuring out how to operate with fewer dollars as lawmakers cut the liquor store operating budget by $500,000 for the 2015-16 fiscal year, which began July 1.