When the big ball drops at midnight, ushering in the new year, no one in Augusta will be watching the event from a bar stool; and people should stop pointing fingers as there is plenty of blame to share.
At the last Augusta Commission meeting, a large delegation of bar owners complained that they were just recently made aware that they will not be allowed to operate on New Years Eve because it falls on a Sunday. Some of the owners were visibly angry, and I suppose I would be, too, if I owned a bar.
According to state law, counties may choose one Sunday per year to allow bars to serve, and Richmond County generally designates Super Bowl Sunday as the date locally since it is the only major yearly event that always falls on Sunday.
What the law does not mandate is any provision that the county government seek the advice and input from bar owners.
Now, I am not the biggest fan of interim City Administrator Takiyah Douse, but I do not think she purposefully made the decision to stick it to the bar owners and deprive the city of the tax revenue that is generated on New Years Eve.
One of the bar owners asked the commissioners if the body could just direct Sheriff Richard Roundtree to simply not enforce the law.
No, the commission cannot do that. Wink, wink…
It is funny to me that the bar owner would make the statement; he must know his Augusta history.
During the Prohibition Era, Augusta did not have “speakeasies;” the saloons operated right out in the open. When the federal agents would plan a raid on the town, the saloon keepers were tipped-off long beforehand by the local authorities.
In 1930, famed New York newspaperman Walter Liggett, declared Augusta to be “the wettest city in America.”
While I do sympathize with the bar owners, it must be pointed out that this scenario of New Years Eve falling on Sunday happened in 2017, so the people who own bars have had six years to make their voice heard at city hall.
So, this really is an instance where everyone involved dropped the ball.
The bigger issue here is that Georgia has some pretty arcane laws when it comes to alcohol. I know; I once owned a fine wine and beverage store.
The Georgia Department of Revenue produces an annual tome that all merchants of liquor must purchase, and it outlines all of the rules, laws and regulations. The book is big enough to use as a door prop.
Some of the regulations are just inane.
Liquor stores may sell single serving size bags of potato chips, but not large bags. Liquor stores may have blanket sales of merchandise, but not offer special discounts for select groups such as veterans or first responders. I broke that rule often.
A revenue agent was in my store when a road deputy walked in and, as was my custom, I gave him a bottle of water. The revenue agent almost cited me because liquor stores are not allowed to give anything away for free, not even water.
When I owned my liquor store, the movement was afoot to allow Sunday sales, and those against it claimed people would drink more if liquor stores weren’t forced to close on Sunday.
Well, the law passed, and we all opened on Sunday, but a month later, most of us went back to the old schedule so that we could be with our families on Sunday. No, being open on Sunday did not increase sales or cause people to drink more.
Forcing restaurants to prove at least 50% of their sales are food items on Sunday is just nonsense.
Owners of tapas restaurants have to artificially hike the prices on their finger plates to conform to the law, or they have to “cook the books” to remain in operation on Sunday.
People have been imbibing alcohol since the dawn of civilization, and no law is going to make them stop. It has been tried before and it failed.
If anything, the bar owners should take the revenue loss they experience this year as a lesson that they need to lobby state legislators to amend the law. If restaurants, hotels, grocery stores and liquor outlets can sell on Sunday, then bars should be allowed to serve as well.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
