Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance Information Meeting Set For Sept. 11

Thursday, August 29th, 2024

The City of Dalton will hold a second public information meeting to discuss proposed changes to the City's alcoholic beverage ordinance. The meeting will be held Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. at Dalton City Hall Council Chamber. City leaders will provide updates on proposed revisions of the ordinance and a time for public comments and questions.

The proposed ordinance was presented for a first reading at the Dalton Mayor and Council's meeting on August 5th. It cannot become law until it is presented for a second reading at a future meeting, at which time it can be voted on by the Council. The new ordinance will not be on the agenda for the Mayor and Council's next meeting on Monday, August 19th. City leaders held a public information meeting on the ordinance on August 26th. 

Dalton's current ordinance is out of compliance with state law, which requires cities of Dalton's size to stop alcohol sales at 2:00 AM. The new ordinance corrects that problem. The proposed ordinance also makes other changes for businesses with alcoholic beverage licenses, including requiring those businesses to have camera systems at points of public entry and also to use ID scanners to screen for underage customers. The ordinance would also require business owners and all employees who handle alcohol to complete an alcohol server training course. The change to the serving times would take effect immediately upon the ordinance being approved by the council. The other provisions would not take effect until January 2025 to allow businesses time to come into compliance. 

The current version of Ordinance 24-27 amending the alcoholic beverage code can be read by clicking here. A summary of the changes first proposed in March can be viewed by clicking here, and the changes outlined August 5th can be viewed by clicking here.