Published: August 31, 2009 09:52 am      

Alcohol by the drink; It’s time

Once again the issue of whether or not to sell liquor by the drink has reared its head. Past attempts to allow alcohol to be sold in Pearl River County have been defeated.

This time the issue is whether or not to allow certain types of businesses in Picayune to sell liquor by the drink.

Recently the state legislature passed a bill with an addition authored by State Senator Sid Albritton that designates Picayune as a “resort area”, thereby making it possible for residents of the city to vote to allow liquor by the drink in restaurants, motels and hotels, inside the city limits. The vote could come only after the signatures of 20% of the registered voters in the city of Picayune are collected on petitions and those petitions are certified by the city.

Petitions to bring the issue to a vote are now being circulated in our city.

We believe the time has come for Picayune to allow liquor by the drink — as long as it is done correctly and the law enforced rigorously. The language of the bill does not allow bars, liquor stores and nightclubs to come to town, it limits the types of establishments that will be allowed to serve alcohol.

The city of Flowood recently passed such a law — but they took it one step further. (See “Flowood law puts tight rein on sales of drinks” in the August 25 issue of the Picayune item) Flowood voted to allow liquor by the drink under the “resort” designation, then passed a city ordinance that spells out exactly which businesses can serve alcohol and gives the city board of aldermen, led by a strong mayor, complete control over whether or not a business may sell liquor, even after that business has received a permit from the State Tax Commission.

The reasons for passing such a law are many — economics being the main incentive. The retail sales and accompanying tax dollars leaking into adjacent states and counties are enormous. Just go to any shopping center in Slidell and count the number of Pearl River County license plates. People drive to Slidell and the Gulf Coast to buy alcohol. While they are there they buy groceries, shop at the mall, fill up with gas and eat in the restaurants. Allowing local restaurants to sell liquor and wine will stem some of this.

New businesses will look more favorably at locating in Picayune, especially chain restaurants and hotels, if they are allowed to sell alcohol. This means additional jobs for our residents and added tax dollars to the city’s coffers.

For these reasons and others, we believe it is an idea whose time has come. Whether you approve of it or not, people drink alcohol. It doesn’t deter them to have laws that prohibit the sale of liquor — it just makes them spend their money elsewhere.