Commissioners urged to consider referendum on poured alcoholic beverages – LaGrange Daily News

On Tuesday, several business owners asked the Board of Commissioners to consider allowing Troup County voters to decide whether to potentially allow poured alcohol sales in the unincorporated area of ​​the county through a referendum.

Currently, all three towns in Troup allow the sale of poured alcohol, but only beer and wine are allowed in the county.

The group was led by Mike Young, owner of The Fields golf course. Young pushed for the change, saying it would not only benefit the golf club, but also help restaurants and events such as weddings and concerts.

It’s not like people don’t drink hard liquor at these events. They bring their own, he said.

“It’s much safer for us to manage the alcohol than to let the person bring their own out,” Young said.

“A club bus from Atlanta came last Saturday. There were 90 guys there. They drank 19 shots of Tito’s vodka, six cases of grape juice, six cases of ginger ale, 14 half-gallons of grape juice in one day and they were the ones carrying it all on the bus,” Young said.

“This is income that you don’t get and I don’t get it either. It comes and goes,” he said.

Young simply asked commissioners to consider putting it to a vote and letting voters decide.

On behalf of Matt Livingston, owner of Captain’s at Highland Marina, attorney Ben Wilcox also addressed the board to request the referendum.

Wilcox said Captain’s was able to get a license to sell beer and wine, but as they discovered, the revenue losses from not being able to sell mixed drinks are astronomical. He noted that seven out of 10 people think about what they’re going to drink when deciding where to eat, according to the National Restaurant Association.

“If seven out of 10 people are focused on that, at a place like Captain’s with the scenery on the dock, overlooking the lake, they can go back to town because they can have a Mojito or a Bloody Mary with their brunch, but they can’t do that at Captain’s,” Wilcox said.

Similarly, Pete Patel, owner of Pyne Road Sports Bar, asked commissioners to put the issue to voters.

“People are actually looking for alcohol. We’re a sports bar. We have TVs and we also have barbecue and other food. But there’s a lot of people asking for alcohol as opposed to people who just want beer,” Patel said.

Commissioner Lewis Davis confirmed to the owners that they are only asking for a referendum on poured liquor. They do not want to open a liquor store in the county, he said.

Elections Supervisor Andy Harper said if commissioners want to put the question on the November ballot, they’ll have to move quickly. He added that a resolution would need to be passed by July 29 to put the question on the November ballot because it has to be announced 90 days before the vote.

“It would be a countywide vote. Every citizen of Troup County would vote on this issue,” Harper said.

No action was taken on this issue at Tuesday’s meeting.