08-18-2008, 03:21 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 41
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Re: interesting editorial re Blue Ridge..
For those readers who are unable to link to the editorial:
Quote:
Fannin County is a quaint, artistic, historic mountain town with garden cafes and gourmet restaurants. It also resembles a ghost town on Saturday nights. When the town should be streaming with diners and tourists enjoying the cool evening breezes, it is still – suffocating under an air of prohibition. Fannin is dry. Blue Ridge does not permit restaurant sales of alcohol, including beer and wine.
Bruce Hanson, Fannin chairman of the “Committee to Keep Our Tax Dollars Home” reported that in 2006 Fannin County lost $30 million in restaurant sales and $875,000 in local sales tax to Gilmer County, and estimates that 46 percent of tourists and residents ventured outside Fannin so they could have wine with their dinner. Hanson also said property owners were paying more than their fair share of taxes and suggested alcohol sales
would both provide additional revenue to offset taxes, and help to grow businesses.
But where has the business from Fannin gone in Gilmer County? To Ellijay? Perhaps not. Indeed, Ellijay has the same still air as Blue Ridge on Saturday nights.
Fannin’s displaced business has most likely traveled to East Ellijay to dine.While East Ellijay offers no quaint, historic downtown it does permit the sale of alcoholic mixed drinks in restaurants, and has no additional – and indeed confusing – restrictions on restaurant alcohol sales.
Ellijay, on the other hand, allows no sales of mixed drinks, and only restaurants located within the city limits, and further only those that face the downtown square or are on River Street, are permitted to sell beer and wine.
Ellijay should remove sales restrictions so that all restaurants are permitted to sell beer and wine, or even allow some sales of mixed drinks.This would make Ellijay competitive with East Ellijay, and would provide multiple benefits.
Restaurants would likely see an increase in profits, and other businesses would benefit from an influx of evening activity. New dining establishments could open without being restricted to the square or River Street, thus expanding the commercial industry.
These could still be quaint, local eateries, not chains, even located in some of the historic properties in town that are currently vacant.
All citizens benefit from an increase in county revenue from alcohol and sales taxes. County revenue from beer and wine sales tax in 2007 was over $65,000, plus another $4,000 from retail licenses. These numbers would likely increase if restrictions were relaxed. So too would sales tax from meals had at restaurants.
Therefore, if restrictions were removed, businesses’ profits would increase, county tax revenue would increase, and the town could see an influx of new businesses and patrons.
Town standards would not need to be lowered to allow bars and roadhouses. Ellijay would not erupt in drunken brawls. Residents and visitors would simply have more local options to enjoy a drink with dinner.
Citizens, business owners, and officials concerned about the vitality of Ellijay must face the facts. Alcohol sales can provide a substantial dose of revenue.
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