Lawmakers consider allowing voters to decide on Sunday alcohol sales

The Georgia General Assembly may be closer than ever to allowing voters in local communities to decide whether beer and wine can be sold in stores on Sunday.

For politicians and retailers, however, the possible benefits are ambiguous and the jury is out on whether the Sunday sales would be a benefit or simply a convenience for patrons.

Gov. Nathan Deal has said he would not veto the proposal, in stark contrast to his predecessor, Sonny Perdue.

DeKalb County Commissioner Kathie Gannon of Super District 6, which includes Brookhaven, said there could be some benefit to the Sunday sales.

“I don’t have a particular concern one way or the other,” Gannon said. ”The direct impact on the county is that we collect our business sales taxes on products like this and that may increase, which would not be a bad thing financially,” she said.

State law currently prohibits grocery stores and other retailers from selling beer and wine Sunday, though people can buy and consume alcohol in bars and restaurants on Sunday. If the Georgia General Assembly passes House Bill 69 and Senate Bill 10, county commissions and city councils would face the question of whether to put the question before their voters.

“I have no problem with the state allowing the residents to chose what they want,” Gannon said.

If, at some point, voters chose the provision in their communities, stores would have to adjust, said Teresa Dalton, manager of in Brookhaven.

Currently, Sherlock’s is closed on Sunday, but Dalton said if the legislation passed one day, the store would consider opening on Sunday, even if it was for shorter hours.

Dalton said she there was no real way to tell whether that would ever be a benefit for retailers or if it could end up simply stretching out the work week, causing them to break even.

“The only way to know is to see what happens,” Dalton said.

If the Sunday sales measure is approved, DeKalb cities such as Dunwoody and Decatur could decide on the issue later this year, during their regularly scheduled municipal elections.

No countywide elections are scheduled for DeKalb County until November 2012. Holding a special election in the county could cost anywhere from $400,000 to $750,000, according to several county election offices.

If the measure is approved, DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis has said he would support letting people decide the issue for themselves, according to county communications director Burke Brennan.

House Bill 69 sailed through the House Regulated Industries Committee on Wednesday, with no opposition. One of its sponsors, Powder Springs state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, is seen by many as one of Georgia’s most influential legislators.

The Senate version of the bill, SB10,  faces a stronger challenge. It is sponsored by Smyrna state Sen. Doug Stoner.

Jerry Luquire, president of the Georgia Christian Coalition, said he had 22 “no” votes in the Senate late last week, and needed six or seven more to derail the measure.

“Local governments are contacting their senators, saying they don’t want the heat that this issue brings,” Luquire said. “They don’t want to have to make that decision, as to whether or not to allow such a referendum.

Luquire would not name the communities that he said were trying to block the bill. He acknowledged that, if the measures pass the legislature, then most, if not all, metro Atlanta cities and counties would approve Sunday alcohol sales, if city councils and county commissions place the measure on a ballot.

A Feb. 10 poll by The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta-based public opinion research firm, said 78 percent of Georgia voters want the opportunity to vote on Sunday alcohol sales. In metro Atlanta, 83 percent were in favor of the measure. The results were part of the firm’s annual Georgia Legislative Poll, and was not conducted for any corporate sponsor.

If given the chance to decide, 61 percent of metro Atlantans said they would vote for Sunday alcohol sales. Twelve percent were “probably in favor;” 5 percent were “probably against;” 16 percent were “definitely against;” and 6 percent were undecided.

Metro Atlanta voters, men, and residents of urban and suburban areas are most likely to vote in favor, while voters over age 60, non-metro Atlanta voters, and rural residents are the most likely to vote against, the survey found.