LULA — Alcohol by the drink could be available in Lula as soon as March 1.
After discussing specifics of the ordinance for about 75 minutes in a called work session Monday night, the Lula City Council adopted the city's alcohol by the drink ordinance during its regularly-scheduled council meeting.
Councilman Vince Evans said he preferred the city requiring 60 percent of proceeds to come from food and 40 percent from alcohol sales.
Bruce Johnson, who with his wife owns At the Tracks Restaurant in downtown Lula, encouraged the council to reconsider that sales ratio to encourage more eateries to come to town.
Asked for his opinion, Johnson said even a 55/45 ratio, figures in a modified suggestion from Evans, would be perceived by some business owners as government overreach.
Ultimately, members of the council agreed with a 51/49 ratio of food vs. alcohol sales, as suggested by Johnson.
"Eventually, I'd like for Lula to become the food court of Hall County," Johnson told the council.
Mayor Milton Turner said he talked with the chairman in Buford recently about the best way to handle alcohol by the drink, and was encouraged to keep fees and regulations competitive with neighboring jurisdictions.
Johnson encouraged the council to keep license fees as reasonable as possible to encourage growth.
"If prices are too high, it's going to be hard to get other businesses here," Johnson said. "We want other restaurants here."
Council members decided license fees for on-premises consumption will be $500 for beer, $500 for wine, and $1,500 for distilled spirits. Those fees are in addition to a one-time $350 administrative fee.
Fees for alcohol manufacturers/distillers will be $3,000, and the fee for wholesalers will be $3,000.
Should a hotel come into Lula and offer in-room service, the fee for that license will be $1,000 in addition to the other applicable licenses.
Also discussed were fees for caterers and a maximum number of event days per year, as well as a per-event license and fee.
Following the meeting, Johnson said, "I think it will help the city in the long run, to be competitive with the other towns around us that have other businesses like ours. My personal feelings on alcohol set aside, I think it will be good for the community to help bring some business in."
Councilman Lamb Griffin abstained from voting, saying he could go either way on the issue.
