BENTON -- Saline County officials took first steps Tuesday to implement alcohol-sales regulations, nearly a month after residents voted the county wet.
Members of the Quorum Court's Finance Committee revised parts of a proposed ordinance that could put in place alcohol-sales regulations and permit fees for retailers. Revenue from the permit fees would go toward the Saline County jail's operating budget.
"The jail is always in need of funds," County Judge Lanny Fite said.
On Nov. 4, residents in Saline and Columbia counties voted to go wet, while a statewide measure to make all of Arkansas' 75 counties wet was rejected. With the two new counties, 40 in the state are wet, allowing for beer and wine sales in grocery and convenience stores and restaurants, along with brew pubs, microbreweries and wineries.
The state's Alcoholic Beverage Control agency began taking applications Nov. 17 for those interested in selling beer or wine, said Michael Langley, the agency's Administration Division director. He did not know how many applications had been turned in as of Tuesday, but he said many of the large retailers -- like Wal-Mart, Kroger and Kum & Go -- had already done so.
Saline County's proposed ordinance would only affect the unincorporated parts of the county but not cities within the county.
First-time beer-retail applicants would pay $40 for the initial county permit. Permit holders would need to submit "evidence" to the county clerk's office to show proof of the last year's gross sales -- like accounting documents or balance sheets -- for a permit renewal.
Under the ordinance, the county would collect "a sum not in excess of $15" for beer retailers whose total gross annual sales don't exceed $1,000, "a sum not in excess of $20" for beer retailers whose gross annual sales don't exceed $2,000, and $20 with an additional $5 for each $1,000 in gross annual sales in excess of $2,000.
Microbrewery-restaurants would pay the same fees as beer retailers under the ordinance.
The draft ordinance had proposed that private clubs receive a county permit for on-premises mixed drinks for a $750 annual fee. But on Tuesday, Justice of the Peace James Zahnd moved to strike that portion.
There are currently 29 private clubs -- including restaurants, Veterans of Foreign Wars posts and country clubs -- in Saline County, according to Alcoholic Beverage Control. Seven of them are in the unincorporated parts of the county, Zahnd said.
"They are not benefited by the passage of the new law," he added. "They already work at a disadvantage in that they must buy alcohol at the retail price."
Zahnd's motion was unanimously approved by the committee.
The private club permits could be issued differently if the entire county or if individual cities decide to call special elections to allow hotels and restaurants to sell mixed drinks, Langley said. County or city officials can make that call six months after the general election.
The ordinance would also create permit fees for hotel and restaurant mixed-drink sales. For those with less than 100 rooms or seats, the ordinance would establish a $750 permit fee. For those with more than 100 rooms or seats, the ordinance would establish a $1,500 permit fee.
It would also put in place a $425 annual permit fee for liquor stores.
Alcoholic Beverage Control will allow 21 liquor store permits in the county, a number based on population. The agency has not begun the permitting process for those stores but will likely do so in March, Langley said.
Justice of the Peace Pat Bisbee moved to approve the amended ordinance Tuesday, but he failed to gain a "second" motion to put it before the full Quorum Court. The matter must pass the committee to advance, or the Quorum Court could consider it if two-thirds of the justices of peace vote to do so, County Attorney Clay Ford said.
If approved, the retailers would have to pay the county fees on top of state fees.
Ford said he didn't know how much money the permits could generate because he didn't know how many of the approved permits are in the unincorporated parts of the county. He added that the fees wouldn't raise a substantial amount.
The first beer and wine sales in Saline County could start as early as January, and the first liquor stores could open as early as August, according to Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Metro on 12/03/2014