Rome to set alcohol permit, water fees tonight

Commissioners also plan to accept a PILOT agreement with Berry covering the school’s planned senior living center.

The Rome City Commission is expected to set tonight the 2018 rates for alcohol sales permits and water and sewer service.

The board caucuses at 5 p.m. and starts its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, 601 Broad St. Both sessions are public.

No change is scheduled for water and sewer customers, although a significant hike is proposed for commercial operations that exceed the limits on contaminants in the wastewater they discharge.

Surcharge rates will at least double — depending on the strength of the pollutants — for issues with oxygen, total suspended solids, and oil and grease.

Some alcohol licenseholders will likely see a decrease in their annual fees.

The city’s finance committee took recommendations from the Alcohol Control Commission to set flat rates for beer and wine pouring licenses. In the past, the charge was determined by a base rate plus the volume of alcohol sold.

Beer package sales permits, however, will jump to $1,500 a year from $850. ACC members wanted to balance out cuts elsewhere and opted to press the convenience stores, where they said most underage sales and illegal gaming occurs.