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Social Circle approves drink
Published April 26, 2009
SOCIAL CIRCLE — After the public approval of a special referendum, the Social Circle City Council officially passed its new liquor-by-the-drink ordinance.
The ordinance was approved by a 2-1 vote, with council member Angela Porter voting against.
Newly appointed Councilman David Keener did not vote on the measure because he was not sworn in at the time.
“It’s a very conservative ordinance, very prudent,” said Joe Reitman, city attorney for Social Circle. “This will allow the city to be very hands-on with the ordinance.”
The new ordinance will allow restaurants to serve hard drinks and distilled spirits six days a week — from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday.
Sunday sales are still prohibited and would require a separate ordinance for approval. An ordinance to do so has yet to be proposed and it is unclear whether it will be, officials said.
Reitman also pointed to some other provisions in the new ordinance, including the $2,500 fee for a pouring license, a requirement to permit individual employees for better regulation and record keeping, location at least 100 feet away from any school or church and quarterly reports to the city on alcohol sales.
“The ordinance requires 60 percent of total sales at any establishment serving liquor to be in food,” Reitman said. “In other words, no nightclubs, no bars, no juke joints.”
The ordinance sets punishment for sale to minors on a three-tier system — $500 and a seven-day suspension on the first offense, $1,000 and a 60-day suspension on a second offense within three years and loss of license for a year on the third offense within three years. The ordinance also forbids brown bagging and “bring your own” policies at any establishment.
“It’s fairly comprehensive,” Reitman said.
Porter, however, felt the process had been rushed.
“I don’t think it’s complete,” Porter said. “There are too many questions. I think it needs to be revised and rethought. There were too many unclear or unexplained items.”
Mayor Jim Burgess, however, said he felt the ordinance was an excellent beginning and could change as new circumstances arose in the coming days as restaurants began pouring.
“This is new ground,” Burgess said. “If something comes up, we can amend it and tighten it up.”
There will also be a 22 cents per liter tax on distilled spirits.
Taxes will also be levied on beer and wine depending on the size of the container, the ordinance states.
Loganville passed a similar tax levy an additional tax on beer and malt sales is to be levied on the wholesale dealers engaged in selling malt beverages and/or wine to retailers in the city.
This tax is also in addition to any taxes currently levied on this business. According to the ordinance, 22 cents per liter tax will be added for wine sold by wholesalers to retailers within the city. This would be pro-rated down for bottles sold at fractional parts of a liter. Malt beer, known as tap or draught beer where it is sold by the barrel or bulk container, would be taxed at $6 per container of 15-and-a-half gallons, pro-rated down for smaller containers.
Five cents per 12 ounces, pro rated on all factional parts of 12 ounces, would be imposed on malt beverages sold in bottles. In these cases, the tax would be computed and payable monthly, directly to Loganville by any “wholesale dealer or distributor selling, shipping, or delivering wine and/or malt beverages to any retail dealer in the city shall, as a condition to the privilege of conducting said business in the city,” according to the Loganville measure.
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