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LaFayette Public Safety director-chief Tommy Freeman said he doesn’t see beer and wine sales in restaurants as a problem.

On June 14, the City Council voted to allow the sale of beer and wine in restaurants.

Council member Norm Hodge, speaking at the meeting, said it wasn’t fair for the city’s golf course to be allowed to sell beer and wine but not restaurants.

Hodge’s motion for the beer-wine ordinance passed by a 3-1 vote.

Freeman said he doesn’t expect a spike in DUI-related arrests due to the ordinance.

“I don’t see a huge impact (on public safety due to the ordinance passing). It will be regulated,” Freeman said.

Under the ordinance, 80 percent of sales must be for food, compared to 20 percent or less for alcohol.

Freeman said the regulations would be decided and approved by the council and the city’s attorney will be drawing up the ordinance for that approval.

On Tuesday, June 22, at 6:15 p.m., there will be a called work session followed by a public hearing to discuss the draft ordinance for the beer and wine sales within the city.

“I don’t see anything in the draft ordinance that will be an adverse impact to public safety,” Freeman said. “I don’t foresee any problems, but if they are, we will meet it head-on.”

Freeman said he doesn’t mind citizens enjoying the privilege.

“I’m not going to personally criticize a person who enjoys a glass of beer or wine with their meals,” he said.

Keeping it safe on the streets

Freeman said the city police department would continue to protect the streets of the city.

“We are going to continue to be aggressive in traffic enforcement to reduce the amounts of traffic accidents re-gardless of the passing of alcohol sales within the city,” he said.

“That (reducing the number of accidents) is the goal in the department,” he said. “We are bound and determined to reduce accidents.”

Freeman said there is no need for extra law enforcement on the streets with the passage of beer and wine sales.

Asked if the alcohol sales would signify an increase in DUIs for the city, Freeman said, “No.”

Asked if law enforcement officers would be waiting in the parking lots of these establishments waiting on peo-ple, who have been drinking, to leave, Freeman said, “No. There must be probable cause before a traffic stop, and we conduct traffic stops on probable cause.”

Freeman said if someone is not wearing a seatbelt, is driving badly or smells of alcohol, those are probable causes to be stopped or tested.

Freeman said citizens who choose to drink should limit it to no more than two drinks in one hour and that the ef-fects that the alcohol could have on a person depends on that person’s body.

Freeman said the only way to lose alcohol from a person’s body is through urinating, breathing or sweating it out.

“Just don’t overindulge. Protect yourself and your family. Wear your seatbelts, and if you drink, I suggest you don’t drive,” he said.

Freeman said the draft ordinance is “pretty binding.”

“The way it is going to be regulated by the city and state laws will not allow patrons to sit there and get totally in-toxicated,” he said.

Freeman also said there are not enough restaurants in the city to meet the criteria for a license to pour that would cause an increase in DUIs.


Read more: CatWalkChatt - news, sports, classifieds, businesses.

Friday, June 25, 2010

By:
Adam Crisp
Chatsworth, Ga., voters will decide July 20 whether restaurants in the city can serve liquor by the drink.

City leaders say there are supporters and detractors for the vote, but the City Council opted to let residents decide.

"I support democracy and I believe the people who elected me need to have a say-so," Councilwoman Celeste Martin said.

Mayor Tyson Haynes, who only votes at council meetings in the event of a tie, said he doesn't support the liquor-by-the-drink referendum. He predicted it won't pass.

"I don't feel ... that there is consensus that citizens want this," Mr. Haynes said. "I think you'll see church groups organize against it."

He said that roughly half the council was neutral on the issue and favored letting residents decide. The other half backed the measure because they believed it eventually would draw in chain restaurants and hotels.

Ms. Martin said allowing liquor by the drink could awaken Chatsworth's stagnant economy.

"We are largely a carpet manufacturing area," Ms. Martin said. "But we do have needs for restaurants, lodging and shopping."

City leaders have been involved in a regional development effort guided by consulting firm Market Street Services of Atlanta. The company recommended both a full-time regional development coordinator and allowing liquor by the drink as ways to attract more business, Mr. Haynes said.

City voters will have to cast separate ballots if they want to weigh in on liquor sales. The citywide election will be held at municipal polling places. There also is a primary for state and congressional elections that day, and those ballots will be cast at county polling places, Mr. Haynes said.

The county election superintendent has said that moving polling places requires federal approval, and there simply wasn't time to move the city and congressional polling places to the same location.