County license holders ask for Sunday sales vote
A number of county alcohol license holders were on hand at Tuesday night’s commission meeting to make their case for a referendum vote on Sunday sales.
“This was the worst Sunday I can remember in 20 years of having to turn away business,” said Rebecca Lanier, who said it makes for a difficult situation when a holiday like Independence Day falls on a Sunday.
Lanier, who is the owner of Mulligan’s, 581 Fields Ferry Drive, said after working on July 4th, she went around meeting with other small business owners in the county and heard similar concerns.
“I witnessed owners having to apologize to their customers, as I did all day long for not being allowed to sell them alcohol,” Lanier said. “It was literally four out of five people that walked in who were turned away, and one customer even said ‘I’m sorry, I forgot it was Sunday ... I’ll just run down the street.’”
Lanier said it’s been nearly 10 years since county residents were allowed to vote on the issue of Sunday sales.
That 2012 countywide vote on liquor by the drink passed 3,275 (54.3%) to 2,754, while Sunday by the drink sales failed 3,200 (53.3%) to 2,810 in the county, while passing 785 (54.7%) to 650 in the city. Sunday package sales failed 3,263 (54.1%) to 2,768 in the county, while passing 754 (53.4%) to 686 in Calhoun.
“Like it or not, times have changed and so have views,” Lanier said. “Most people I know don’t work Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 anymore. Changes are happening all around us and you can even get alcohol delivered from businesses in the city now.”
Lanier also made note of Sunday sales being legal for businesses in Resaca.
“Weekends should be the busiest time, but for us in the county our potential is cut in half,” Lanier said. “I can’t stress enough how important this is for Gordon County business owners, and also for Gordon County.”
At the golf course, Lanier said because she has to allow golfers to bring their own coolers with alcohol to the course on Sundays, it cuts into her food and merchandise business since it cuts down on patrons to come inside during a round.
“We start the year with a disadvantage,” Lanier said. “Automatically we lose 52 days a year that our license is useless.”
As part of her time addressing the commission, Lanier read a statement on behalf of county alcohol license holders:
“In today’s competitive business world there are so many uncertainties on business sales and revenues, specifically to small business owners facing many
challenges financially. As we all know, the City of Calhoun sells package beer and wine on Sunday at designated times. Additionally, many of the surrounding counties allow the sale of beer and wine in retail stores on Sunday. Chain stores owned by big corporations within the city limits have a huge advantage against small business owners within county limits. As Gordon County small business owners, we respectfully and sincerely make a request to allow equal opportunities for all businesses within county limits and city limits. This will bring more job opportunities, business sales and sales tax revenues for our county. Thank you for your support towards small businesses and considering this request.”
A referendum on Sunday alcohol sales in Gordon County would have to take place during an election or during a special election. The next countywide election isn’t set until 2022, and special elections are expensive, according to County Administrator Jim Ledbetter.
Ledbetter recommended the license holders and county officials begin a dialogue on the issue going forward to discuss options for pursuing Sunday sales.
The license holders on hand even mentioned a potential willingness to help pay for a special election of needed. Ledbetter said he wasn’t sure of the legalities of such a move, but said he would look into it.