Athens possesses 20 outstanding liquor permits

by Jenn Yandrisevits

The passage of two ballot issues giving Sunday liquor sales permits to Kroger stores in Glouster and Trimble worries some Athens city council officials who think there are too many liquor licenses in the area already.

Issues 3 and 4 allow the stores to sell wine and mixed beverages on Sunday between 1 p.m. and midnight.

The combination of alcohol permits from restaurants, bars and night clubs in the city of Athens totals 156 permits issued to 65 different permit holders, Mullins said. This is 20 more permits than the city is allowed.

Alcohol permits are based on population, one permit for every 10,000 residents, said Matt Mullins, spokesman for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.

There are three possible reasons why Athens is over quota, he said. Either property that has an alcohol permit was annexed into Athens city limits, or the city has had a loss of population.

If state officials believe that there will be an economic benefit to an area by providing a business with a permit, Mullins said, they can issue a transfer exempt quota. A transfer exempt quota allows a business to get a permit even if all the licenses are taken.

“The problem is we cannot go back and take away the last permits that were issued,” Mullins said. “The number of permits that are over quota are over for one of the three reasons, which are guided by statutes, so there is nothing that we can do to control or correct the problem.”

While the city may be over quota with certain types of permits, it can still obtain other permits that are not over quota, said Mullins.

The problem is nothing new to Athens city officials, who have tried to curb the excess number of liquor permits in city limits.

“This summer we had a new problem with liquor licenses,” said Athens city councilman Jim Sands, D-at-large. “With the opening of Ruby Tuesday’s we found that restaurant establishments seating a hundred plus people can obtain a permit whether over quota or not.”

Sands said that the city really has no power or influence over the number of liquor licenses that is given out. The businesses send the application straight to the state agency. The application is sent to the city for comment but the state does not have to heed the comments or requests.

“The city has, on more than one occasion, tried to approach the state about a reduction in the number of liquor licenses, but has made no headway, “ Sands said.

The city council members are not the only people concerned with the high number of liquor licenses in Athens.

“The main worry is the availability of alcohol is the cause of excessive underage drinking and binge drinking,” said Judy Mead, executive director of the Ohio chapter of MADD.

Mead said that the availability of liquor is pertinent to college life, which could be a contributing factor to why Athens exceeds the number of liquor licenses.

“During the summer in Athens (population) is very sparse, so it would be a fair assumption to say that retail and wholesale want business from the students,” Mead said.