Community Corner
Oconee County Cities Will Be Holding Liquor-By-Drink Referendums On Nov. 4 By Default
State law determines that the county vote on liquor-by-the-drink can have impact on the cities.
Five intertwined but distinct Oconee County elections will be held on liquor by the drink on Nov. 4, though voters may not be aware of the complexity of the decisions they will be making.
Officially, voters will be asked if they want to allow “the governing authority of Oconee County” to “issue licenses to sell distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the drink.”
If the county vote is affirmative and voters in any of the county’s four cities approve that ballot issue, however, those voters also will be authorizing the governing body in the city to pass an ordinance allowing liquor by the drink without seeking additional approval of the voters in the city.
That conclusion was reached by Watkinsville city officials last week after they reviewed state ordinances following their discussion of the county’s liquor-by-the-drink referendum at the Wednesday night City Council meeting.
As a result of that discussion, it now appears unlikely that Watkinsville will have a separate liquor referendum on the ballot on Nov. 4.
For more on this story, go to Oconee County Observations.