Just in case I was a bit too vague in my post about the sidewalk smoking ban, I wanted to be crystal clear that along with a bunch of other alcohol ordinance provisions, the Decatur City Commission passed the Sunday alcohol sales ordinance last night.

That means that starting this coming Sunday, November 27th, you may have the option of purchasing alcohol on Sunday at Ale Yeah!, Sherlocks, Oakhurst Market, Kroger and the four convenience stores around the city that sell alcohol.

But don’t go to Publix on North Decatur or the Decatur Package Store (sorta) across the street.  Those are both outside the city limits and DeKalb doesn’t plan to take up any Sunday Sales issues until next year.

Say what you want about Decatur’s city government and staff, but they’re planners.

While some other cities rushed to get their Sunday sales ordinance approved so that they could have one extra day of Sunday sales – to the great benefit of those cities’ alcohol distributors – Decatur apparently decided to be prompt, but also smart.

Tonight, Decatur’s City Commission is likely to approve a revised liquor ordinance that will allow for the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday starting two days after Black Friday.  (If they don’t, expect drunken recitations of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” in the streets.)  But that’s not the only change being proposed for that most hilariously-worded of Decatur ordinances.  (“Moral turpitude!” Hee hee!)  There are dang near nine different updates being made to “spirits law”.   (I quote that like I’m making some offbeat reference to a mid-90s indie film hoping to impress, but really I’m just a quotations “man of the night”.  See I did it again!)

The most notable of which is what I’ll term “The Cafe Alsace Amendment”.  That’s the amendment that will now make it legal for Decatur restaurants with valid serving licenses to allow patrons to bring their own bottles of wine to a restaurant and charge a corking fee.  This topic was brought up in a FFAF thread back in January, where a patron complained that Cafe Alsace wouldn’t let them bring in their own bottle of wine for consumption.  The proprietor of Cafe Alsace, Benedicte Cooper, rightly told the patron that while other Decatur establishments may do this, it is currently illegal, and therefore she would not.

A good six months later, Mayor Floyd mentioned in a commission meeting that after talking with Ms. Cooper, he’d like to see the alcohol ordinance changed so that this was no longer prohibited.  (See: Bring Your Own Wine? Mayor Thinks It’s Fine! post)  And then we waited.

What were we waiting for?  Apparently we were waiting for this Sunday sales vote, because now that we need to get it on the books so folks can start “rushing out for that elusive forgotten bottle of wine for a Sunday evening dinner party” – the specific reason most commonly given on DM – the city’s going to do a good bit of tweaking.  Want a list?  You’ll have to click thru…

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Many Decatur residents are probably already pre-gaming for next week’s “Liquor Vote Tuesday”.  But across the city line in unincorp-ed DeKalb, residents will remain silent on the issue.  That’s right, there won’t be a Sunday liquor sales vote in DeKalb.

Rep. Mike Jacobs points this out on his website…

Conspicuously absent from the countywide ballot in DeKalb County is a referendum to allow Sunday sales of alcohol. I supported Senate Bill 10 (click for information), the legislation that enables local communities to decide this issue via public referendum.

Our neighboring cities of Chamblee, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and Atlanta will be voting on this question next Tuesday. If you are in unincorporated DeKalb, however, the county has yet to do anything regarding Sunday sales.

That means that regular Decatur haunts outside the city limits like Publix, Decatur Package Store, and Fiesta, will all refrain from alcohol selling on Sundays for the foreseeable future.  Which means that regardless of how Decatur votes on Tuesday, the only local option for picking up hard liquor on Sunday will continue to be your neighbor’s poorly concealed underground hooch cellar.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The Emory Wheel gets reaction from area liquor store owners about a potential lifting of the Sunday sales ban in DeKalb County…

Ricky Ram, owner of Rocky’s Package Store located on Briarcliff Road, and Decatur Package Store owner Herb Cherrick said that the increase in alcohol sales will not outweigh the expenses necessary to keep stores open on Sundays because the legislation spreads out profits over six days and increases overhead costs. Ram, who said that many Emory students visit his store, during the academic year, explained that although there will likely be a large spike in revenues during the first weekend of each semester of the 2011-2012 school year, the increase does not justify an entire year of keeping the store open.

…“As a citizen, it makes sense, but as a business owner, it’s tough because I think it’s a fallacy to think that your business is going to grow by now being open on Sundays,” Cherrick said. He compared the situation to the introduction of the lottery when the first six months yield a short-term spike in revenue followed by a return to pre-Sunday sales level.

With much of his clientele inside Decatur-proper, Mr. Cherrick’s situation seems particularly difficult.  New Sunday sales are one thing, but if DeKalb opted not to allow Sunday sales, while Decatur did, that really seems like it would have the potential of cutting into his bottom-line.

Following up on the previous post, a poll for you!

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Last night the Georgia House passed the Sunday alcohol sales bill 127 to 44.  The bill now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal, who has stated publicly many times that he would not veto such a measure.

But what now?  Luckily the AJC detailed the necessary moves of local municipalities back on April 4th, in preparation for just such an outcome.

The next step would be for some city council member, county commissioner of government official to put a call for a referendum on a meeting agenda. Then a majority of the board would have to vote for it, giving elections offices ample time to run legal ads, hire poll workers and assemble ballots.

Under state election law, questions can only be put to voters on certain dates. The next chance will be Nov. 8, and this being an odd-numbered year, not everyone has elections scheduled that day. Among them: Atlanta, Marietta, Sandy Springs, Cobb County and Fulton County.

Among those opening polls: every other city in Cobb, every other city in Fulton, all cities in DeKalb County and Lawerenceville, Lilburn, Norcross, Snellville and Suwanee.

Decatur’s got three commissioners up for re-election in the fall, so Decatur will certainly have an opportunity to put it on the ballot this year if they so choose.  When (or) will this be brought up?  Looks like I need to do a little digging.