The ordinance limiting the number of liquor stores in Lebanon was approved on second reading by the city council last week.
In a 5-1 vote, Ordinance No. 25-7149 limited the number of liquor stores to one retailer per 9,500 residents. Councilor Chris Crowell, Ward 4, was the only 鈥渘o鈥 vote.
Lebanon has 19 liquor stores in business, and with the ordinance in effect, the new limit would be 19.
However, the current limit is 21 because two applications were submitted before the Tuesday, Feb. 18 council meeting.
鈥淭his is the first I鈥檝e heard of two more coming in,鈥 Councilor Camille Burdine, Ward 3, said. 鈥淐an you tell me why they鈥檙e not on this agenda?鈥
Commissioner of Finance Steward Lawson replied, 鈥淭hey have to go through the process; they have to go through the Police Department.鈥
鈥淪o one was turned in on Friday [Feb. 14] and the other was turned in today [Feb. 18], and the agenda was already out,鈥 Mayor Rick Bell said.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a limit on liquor stores until you all pass this, so they were able to turn their applications in and we had to accept them,鈥 Lawson added.
鈥淚 voted against this last time and voted to defer it, and after going through the information from Stewart [Lawson], and he gave us a new updated list, I鈥檓 going to be supporting this tonight,鈥 Councilor Joey Carmack, Ward 1, said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a little reluctant to do it, but at this time I believe 21 will be enough.鈥
Echoing his opinion from the first reading of the ordinance during the previous Council Meeting, Chris Crowell said the market should determine what and how many stores open.
鈥淚 suppose my primary objection here has more to do with the limits on a private business. I鈥檓 really more in favor of letting the market decide, having the free market approach on something like this,鈥 Crowell said. 鈥淵ou know, if people don鈥檛 want to shop somewhere, they don鈥檛 have to, but it鈥檚 a private business and we should let the market decide.鈥
鈥淎 lot of times with competition, at least an assumption in capitalism I think, is with competition comes a better quality product,鈥 Crowell added.
The Liquor Permits page of the City of Lebanon website was updated to reflect the new ordinance and states that no more Certificates of Compliance are being accepted.
鈥淲e are set at our limit for liquor stores inside the City of Lebanon.鈥
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