Liquor by the drink could be on the ballot
Hamilton County residents may vote this year in a referendum that would allow on-premise alcohol sales at businesses in unincorporated parts of the county.
The County Commission will take up a resolution next Wednesday that would put the question on the ballot in November.
Commissioner Lee Helton, R-East Brainerd, said business owners opening restaurants in unincorporated areas currently have to follow a cumbersome, timeconsuming approval process through the state to sell alcohol.
“It sort of clogs up the works and leaves things in limbo,” Helton said during the meeting.
This referendum would allow business owners in unincorporated areas to compete with other eateries in incorporated parts of the county, he said. It could also provide a stream of revenue to help schools and improve infrastructure, Helton said.
“There’s going to be strong opinions on both sides of this issue, and at the end of the day, the people should and will have the opportunity to decide at the ballot box in November,” he said during the meeting.
Commissioner Joe Graham, R-Lookout Valley, said he supports the referendum.
“There’s always a few bad apples, but when you do this, it brings in nice restaurants, it brings in good sales tax revenue,” Graham said.
Allowing on-premise alcohol sales would also boost the money available for schools and be a general economic benefit to the county, he said.
“It kind of brings us into the 20th century,” Graham said. “It brings a really nice chain of different restaurants that everybody enjoys and everybody wants to come here.”