Lewiston’s City Council Monday night approved a liquor license for the VIP room at the Colisee. The application now goes to the state for a final OK.

The decision isn’t a surprise, and it’s not controversial, in and of itself. Sporting venues around the country offer liquor to patrons, usually in a more controlled way than how they sell beer or wine. The Colisee should be no different.

But here’s the rub: The City Council finances the Colisee. The city owns the building, employs the staff and pays the bills. One of the great obstacles for public ownership of a business is the line where the best interest of the community and the best interest of the enterprise diverge.

We have no problem with limited liquor sales at the Colisee. But it raises the question: What if there had been community outrage? How would the City Council have weighed the city’s financial stakes in the arena with other public interests?

Unlike a private business, which can chose to focus primarily on profits, the city has a dual interest in financial and civic success, and the two aren’t always perfectly aligned. It’s one of the most difficult things to square about the city owning and running a business.