Officials in Trenton, Ga., are in talks that may allow restaurants to serve beer and wine.
The town’s mayor says it’s an issue of economics – the city faces a shrinking property tax base and few options for growing its commercial tax income.
Beer and wine sales would provide an additional source of revenue and perhaps attract more restaurants, hotels and industry, Mayor Barton Harris said.
But even discussing the issue has proven controversial. City leaders haven’t scheduled a vote on the matter, but their August called meeting, at which they were adopting the city’s property tax millage rate, drew a large crowd with both supporters and detractors for the alcohol issue.
Several churches brought members who opposed the ordinance and quoted biblical scripture to support their opposition.
“My husband was a pastor here for years. We saw what alcohol had done to families,” resident Betty Tate said Tuesday.
“Alcoholism starts with just one drink,” said Tate, who also attended the recent meeting. “Many people say they can control their drinking, but generally speaking, they cannot, and they become alcoholics.”
During the meeting, held last week, city leaders kept their millage rate the same, but Harris said the city must make cuts to get by with less tax revenue because of declining property values and a lack of commercial and sales tax revenue.
With no new tax income, beer and wine sales could help bridge the budget gap, he said.
For now, the City Commission just wants to hear public opinion on the matter and will discuss it again in September and perhaps again October. There has been no date set for a vote, he said.
“From what I’ve gathered on the street, it seems like people are riding the fence,” Harris said. “We’re just in debate and discussion.”
Any ordinance should require restaurants that serve alcohol to derive 70 percent of its income from food sales, Harris said.
Despite seeing positives, one commissioner said he’s keeping an open mind about any ordinance.
“Right now I’m still looking at everyone’s opinions,” said Commissioner Chuck Cannon. “I’m trying to weigh everyone’s opinions.”
He understood points made by folks like Tate, but he’s also interested in getting more restaurants, which might lure more industry and more tax revenue.
“No one wants to be the first to take a chance on a city,” Cannon said. “People want to jump on board. They don’t want to build the ship.”