Two years ago, before Darrell Seki won the band chairmanship from Floyd Jourdain, the tribal council became exasperated with the handful of liquor stores just outside the reservation border. Those stores serve tribal members, a population plagued by alcoholism, Jourdain said.

At the time, Tribal Council member Gary Nelson proposed a resolution officially opposing the establishment of liquor stores "adjacent" to the reservation. The council passed the resolution, but it sat dormant until Freudenberg applied for a liquor license.

Roger's Resort is just six miles from the edge of the Red Lake Reservation.

At the public hearing, Nelson asked Beltrami County commissioners to establish a buffer zone around the reservation in which no liquor licenses would be granted. Nelson could not be reached for comment.

The commissioners postponed their vote on whether to grant Freudenberg the license and are set to meet again Sept. 2.