Mayor Rocky Anderson signed a new policy Thursday eliminating any reference to alcoholic beverages. That means booze now can be bought on city business.

The change was prompted after it became publicly known Anderson spent nearly $634 at Squatters Pub Brewery and at Grand America in July while entertaining guests at the city's International Jazz Festival. Food and drinks were consumed.

Anderson said earlier this week he didn't know charging the city for alcohol violated the former policy.

But that policy did cross his desk in 2003. He signed a copy of the document two years ago when another section - unrelated to alcohol - was amended. Anderson said Thursday he didn't read the whole policy, so he didn't see the booze ban.

"My attention was never drawn to" that section, he said. He was focused on the part he amended to allow the city to spend more than $30 to recognize employees.

"Even if I had read that, of course, I have the authority to make exceptions," Anderson said. "I signed the [new] policy [Thursday]. I didn't read the rest of the policy."

The state has tapped taxpayer funds for drinks. Utah Office of Tourism Director Leigh von der Esch said her office has bought alcohol with meals while entertaining clients, such as tour operators, media personnel and others. She noted state liquor laws are followed - alcohol isn't served in state buildings - and she tries to find donors to cover the costs, but that doesn't always happen.

"Remember, we have visitors from all over the world," she said. "We make people as welcome as we can here."

Salt Lake City's alcohol ban was created in 1989 by then-Mayor Palmer DePaulis. He said Thursday it was to head off buying booze with tax money during the city's unsuccessful 1991 bid for the 1998 Winter Olympics.

"We did not want to spend public money on the purchase of alcohol," DePaulis said.

Former Mayor Deedee Corradini said she, too, didn't spend city money on alcohol, even while successfully seeking the 2002 Winter Games.

Anderson, at the helm during the Winter Games, said the city bought alcohol for Olympic events in 2002.

Other city employees have known for years they couldn't spend city money on alcohol.

Cindy Gust-Jenson, executive director of the City Council office, said she personally pays for alcohol while on city business, though she has a city credit card. "It gets expensive sometimes."

D.J. Baxter, Anderson's senior adviser, said he learned of the alcohol policy in 2000 after he unsuccessfully tried to get reimbursed for beer bought while on a lobbying trip to Washington, D.C.

"That's how I became aware of the policy."

Anderson couldn't explain why the accounting staff never told him the rules, even though he said he has purchased alcohol before with city money.

"I can assure you there have been dinners where somebody has a glass of wine," he said. "Maybe it didn't show up as alcoholic beverages on the receipts."

Anderson has pointed to the city's now-defunct booze ban as another example of an "only-in-Utah" rule, saying he couldn't "imagine" Chicago, for instance, asking guest mayors to pick up their bar tab.

Lisa Schrader, a spokeswoman for the Chicago budget office, acknowledged the city does provide alcohol at some receptions. But she said the bill is paid from a separate account, funded through ticket sales, not tax money.

hmay@sltrib.com