Lowell To Consider Alcohol Sales Fee Ordinance

Lowell aldermen are scheduled to review a proposed ordinance Tuesday establishing fees levied on businesses selling alcoholic drinks.

Officials in Benton County cities are writing ordinances dealing with various elements of the retail sale of alcohol in the formerly dry county. Rogers officials, for instance, established various zoning classifications where liquor stores and beer bars will be allowed.

The Lowell ordinance sets a $750 annual permission fee for a business operating with a wholesale alcohol license, and a $500 fee for any store that sells liquor, beer or wine for off-premise consumption. Lowell will have the highest permission fees in the area if aldermen approve the proposal.

Additionally, any business in Lowell must pay an annual fee of $50 plus $2 per employee for a business permit.

“We talked about this for awhile before we came up with these fees,” said Eldon Long, mayor. “We haven’t changed our alcohol ordinance since 1982, that’s another reason we are making the change now.”

“We feel like these fees are justifiable because it will be more work for the city staff and likely more pressure on the Police Department,” he said.

Rogers officials haven’t determined if the city will have a permission fee to sell alcohol.

“We haven’t looked into that yet,” said Mayor Greg Hines. “Right now I would say we probably won’t add any additional fees for alcohol sales. The increase in sales tax revenue should be enough. That doesn’t mean we might not change our minds later down the road.”

Rogers requires a business permit a liquor store will need in order to operate. The permit costs $50 per year, plus $5 per employee, the same as for any Rogers retail business.

Bentonville officials said they haven’t determined if there will be a fee charged for liquor sales. The city doesn’t require business licenses.

“It’s just something we’ve never done,” said Denise Land, city finance director.

Washington County has been wet for several years. Cities selling alcohol, beer and wine have different fees for liquor and beer sales.

Fayetteville has a $250 permission fee to sell liquor, beer or wine. For a beer and wine sales there’s an additional $15 permit and a volume sales charge, according to the city code. The ordinance sets a one-half cent charge on every dollar received on beer and wine sales exceeding $1,000.

Michael Langley, director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Administration Division, said Fayetteville is the only city he’s aware of charging one-half cent on beer and wine sales.

“It been that way for so long no one seems to know what the thinking was when the ordinance was passed,” Langley said.

Springdale charges any store selling liquor or beer a $250 alcohol sales permit fee, according to the city code. There is also a $20 fee for beer sales, plus an additional $2 on each $1,000 over $2,000 in sales.

The city also mandates each business must have a business license, which costs $40 plus $2.50 per employee.

“I don’t feel we are out of line,” Long said of the proposal in Lowell. “The $500 fee is around $1.37 a day, that isn’t much to pay for the right to sell alcohol.”

Meeting Information

Lowell City Council

Where: Lowell City Hall, 216 N. Lincoln, council chambers

When: Tuesday

Time: 6:30 p.m.

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