Council Approves Brunch Bill, Homestead Exemption Referendums

ALPHARETTA, GA — The Alpharetta City Council at its July 23 meeting voted to call a special election to allow its residents to vote on whether restaurants can begin serving drinks at 11 a.m. on Sundays. The Council unanimously voted to call for the referendum related to the Brunch Bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal. The referendum will be on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Senate Bill 17 allowed city councils and county commissions to call for referendum votes on allowing on-premise, alcohol sales by the drink beginning at 11 a.m. on Sundays. Under current law, bars and restaurants may not begin serving Sunday booze until 12:30 p.m.

Residents should note the bill only applies to establishments where 50 percent of its annual gross sales are from food or meals, which includes most restaurants. In other words, bars or breweries would not be included in the earlier serving time.

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There wasn't as much discussion during Alpharetta's second reading of its ordinance at its July 23 meeting as there had been at the Council's July 9 meeting. During the first reading of the ordinance held earlier this month, city leaders wondered if the referendum would lead to residents roaming the downtown district intoxicated and if it would have a negative impact on nearby churches.

One resident, Daniel McAlonan, challenged those sentiments in his comments to the Council. McAlonan, who lives in downtown Alpharetta, said it was "concerning" that some City Council members said they cited their ministers to help advise them on policy. He said he would be fine with city leaders consulting their faith to act as a guide, but getting direct advice from administers, he said, amounts to a violation of the separation of church and state.

He also took aim at the idea that the brunch bill would allow people to walk the streets under the influence of alcohol on Sunday mornings.

"Public drunkenness is illegal any hour of the day," he said, adding that anyone who is intoxicated at 11 a.m. started drinking well before then.

McAlonan urged the City Council to move forward with approving the second reading of the call to hold a referendum, as residents will, no doubt, go have brunch in other cities "if they want a mimosa on a Sunday." The downtown resident ended his comments by reminding the Council that they are not voting to allow these sales to happen, but are giving the residents who elected them a chance to make that decision.

“You are voting to let the people of Alpharetta decide their own fate," he said.

Council members also voted to call an election on the referendum to impose a new homestead exemption in the city of Alpharetta. If approved by voters on the Nov. 6 ballot, new homestead exemptions would freeze homeowners' tax assessments at the 2016 level. It would allow increases up to 3 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less. The homestead exemptions would remain in place as long as homeowners own their homes. The more current assessment would take effect and become the new "frozen" level once a home is sold.

The same proposal, which was given authorization with the passage of bills this year in the Georgia General Assembly, will also be taken up by voters in Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park and Roswell. The city of Sandy Springs already has these exemptions in place.

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