Albany City Commission hears pitch for moratorium on alcohol licenses

ALBANY — A proposed 90-day moratorium on alcohol licenses got a chilly reception from the Albany City Commission on Tuesday, but the concept of evaluating the city’s process of issuing licenses to establishments got a stronger embrace.

Albany City Commissioner Demetrius Young brought the moratorium proposal to the full commission during a Tuesday work session. The Ward VI commissioner has made what he calls a proliferation of establishments an issue since he took office in 2020.

There have been a few notable exceptions where the commission has bowed to residents’ wishes and denied licenses at certain locations, but he said for the most part licenses are issued even in situations where they are a detriment to the communities in which they are located.

“I think because of the conditions we have in the community with crime, with poverty, with blight, with youth crime, we need to take another look at this,” he said. “Alcohol density is the proximity of these alcohol outlets to others in your community.”

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was “eye-opening,” he said, and it pointed to the proliferation of bars and package stores as a driver of crime, substance abuse and neglect of neighborhoods.

The three-month moratorium would give commissioners the opportunity to find a “different path” to follow in the future, he said

In arguing for the moratorium and review, Amna Farooqi, interim president of the Dougherty County Branch of the NAACP, said that alcohol outlets are thought of as a form of economic development. Instead, she said, they often have the opposite impact.

“It lowers property values, which has an impact on poverty and crime,” she said. “It has an impact on black neighborhoods. It is a social justice issue. The fact we have liquor stores more readily available than grocery stores is a problem.”

By one criteria, the CDC recommended a density of one alcohol sales establishment per 1,000 residents, she said.

Earlier, commissioners heard that there are 211 businesses licensed for alcohol sales in the city, including bars, package stores and restaurants.

“I think what Commissioner Young and sister Farooqi have done gives us an awareness of what our city will become if we don’t put some teeth in our (ordinances),” Commissioner Jon Howard said.

A presentation on Tuesday of new alcohol applications to the commission included two bars, two restaurants, and beer and wine package sales at the new Love’s Travel Stop. The travel center and both bars are located in Howard’s Ward !.

“We can hire as many police as we want, but what is coming out of these neighborhoods is frightening,” he said. “If we don’t do something, Albany will not be considered the Good Life City. It will be the get your guns and get out of town city.”

Several other commissioners expressed doubts about the need for a moratorium.

Mayor Bo Dorough suggested forming a committee with a representative appointed by each commissioner to discuss the issue.

“We’ve run across this before,” Commissioner B.J. Fletcher said. “I listened to your stats. I would like to see more facts. I would like to see hard-core facts, because that’s what our commission works on, is facts.”

The availability and heavy purchase of lottery tickets and marijuana are issues that also should be addressed by a committee, she said.

“Let’s get a committee together, let’s see what other communities are doing,” Dorough said. “I think we certainly need to look at this.”

The commission can continue granting licenses on an individual basis without calling a halt to licensing entirely, Commissioner Chad Warbington said.

“I think in general, all city policies are up for improvement,” the Ward IV commissioner said during an interview after the meeting. “I think a moratorium for all businesses would be harmful. There’s no reason to put a moratorium in place that would negatively affect businesses; we just need to bring some new ideas to the table.”

The commission could vote on the moratorium proposal next week.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]