It does not appear, outside of Braselton, that the so-called "Brunch Bill" is going to have much of an impact on Jackson County, at least for the time being.
Senate Bill 117, passed in the Georgia General Assembly this year, allows for local governments to let voters decide whether or not local restaurants can begin serving alcohol at 11 a.m. on Sunday, 90 minutes earlier than the current laws allow.
Jackson County commissioners, in a 4-1 vote, opted to put the referendum on the ballot for the Nov. 6 election, alongside the Midterm Elections, though it likely won't affect too many county restaurants — if any at all, said Kevin Poe, county manager, in an interview with AccessWDUN.
"Mainly it was something the Board [of Commissioners] wanted to put out to the public to let them decide if they would want to see this legislation enacted or not," said Poe, indicating that it would more or less set the stage for any future restaurants coming to the unincorporated parts of Jackson County.
Where the bill could have a more tangible impact — and where it is also on the November ballot — is Braselton, which features plenty of brunch options, especially in and around Chateau Elan along the Highway 211 corridor.
Leaders in the restaurant industry have been pushing the measure for years, and this year, 62 counties and cities have opted to put the measure before voters.
"The most important thing is: Just vote 'yes'," said Karen Bremer, CEO of the Georgia Restaurant Association.
Statewide, Bremer said there are about 4,000 restaurants that would take advantage of the early alcohol sales (about one in every five eateries in Georgia), and each of those restaurants could see an average of $500 more per week in sales.
"And that $500 is not just alcohol. It's also food, because I think anybody that goes out for brunch knows the restaurants are pretty quiet until 12 o'clock, and then people descend for their brunch. And if you look over at the bar, you see all the glasses lined up and all the champaign flutes lined up," said Bremer.
And those drinks will have to sit for another 30 minutes until they can legally be served.
Other parts of Jackson County, however, have no plans on putting the legislation to voters.
Two towns, Maysville and Nicholson, are dry towns. It goes without saying that if a town doesn't allow alcohol in the first place, then there's no reason to think about what time it can be served on Sunday.
Neither one has any plans to explore the measure, officials confirmed.
Other municipalities, namely Arcade, Hoschton, Pendergrass and Talmo, simply don't have enough restaurants to warrant a special election for the bill.
Hoschton and Talmo only combine for three restaurants that serve alcohol, and none of those three serves brunch on Sundays anyway.
"With only two restaurants in the city limits that serve alcohol...I'm not sure we will be in a hurry," said Hoschton City Manager April Plank, reached via email. In Hoschton the only restaurants to serve booze are a bar/lounge, Tavern 53, and a pizza restaurant, Sliced.
Arcade and Pendergrass have no restaurants within their city limits to begin with, so, much like the dry towns of Jackson County, there isn't much of a point to putting the issue on the ballot.
Jefferson, which could arguably benefit from the bill with the restaurants in its downtown area, has not discussed putting it before voters, and has no immediate plans to do so, Mayor Steve Quinn confirmed in an email to AccessWDUN.
Officials in the county seat aren't ruling out the possibility of bringing it up in the future, though.
Keen-eyed readers will notice there's only one Jackson County municipality left that hasn't been covered at this point, and it could be a bit of a wildcard, like Jefferson.
And that's Commerce.
While some entities have said "yes," others have said "no," and still others have said "not yet," Commerce is saying "maybe."
In an email to AccessWDUN, Commerce City Manager James Wascher said the city is simply studying the topic at this point, not committing to action one way or another.
Logic would suggest that Commerce is either waiting until it has a municipal election in which it can put the question to voters without having to call a separate, special election, or officials are looking to see whether or not the local restaurants have any interest in it to begin with.
Or perhaps both.
Come Tuesday, cities like Commerce and Jefferson may have an idea of whether or not they will explore the "brunch bill" in the future, once they get a chance to see what works, or doesn't work, in places where it passes, which could be a short drive down the road to Braselton, or unincorporated Jackson County.
But the issue is far from finished. With 2019 being a municipal election year, keep an eye on local governments, looking to save the money of conducting a special election, to raise the issue once again.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/10/729247/brunch-bill-referendums-arent-on-the-radar-for-most-jackson-county-municipalities