Montgomery residents would be able to buy liquor on Sunday if County Executive Ike Leggett approves of a council member’s proposal to operate county-owned liquor stores on Sundays.
Councilwoman Nancy Floreen asked members of the Montgomery council’s public safety committee to support allowing liquor stores to open their doors on Sundays, saying that doing so could add up to $1 million annually to the cash-strapped county’s coffers. Montgomery is facing a $297 million projected budget gap.
“Sunday hours would enable County employees to gain additional income, which, in this recessionary period, is always a plus,” Floreen said in a memo. “Sunday is the second busiest retail shopping day of the week, and having these stores open on Sundays would improve service to our residents and restaurants.”
Maryland and 29 other states allow hard liquor sales on Sundays, Floreen said, so opening Montgomery’s stores would put Montgomery “on an equal footing with the other counties in the state.”
George Griffin, director of Montgomery’s Department of Liquor Control, said the county operates 25 liquor retail stores that are expected to generate $23 million this year in revenue. He said he would implement Sunday hours if asked, but the decision to do so must come from Leggett.
County public information officers said Leggett had considered the matter while drafting his budget proposal, but had ultimately decided against it.
Griffin said he was not sure how much money the county could expect to garner from selling liquor on Sundays, adding that there are 900 licensed, privately owned businesses already selling wine and beer to residents. Distilled spirits, however, have to be bought at Montgomery county stores according to local policy.
“You’ve always been able to buy a cocktail by the drink at a restaurant on Sunday,” Griffin said. “The difference is, if you want to serve margaritas at a cookout, you
have to buy your tequila on Saturday.”
Council Vice President Phil Andrews, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said he supported the concept of a pilot project in which some stores would test out Sunday operations.
“It is certainly worth consideration,” Andrews said. “I think the main benefit may be the increased access for the public, just the convenience of having stores open another day could be the biggest thing to come out of this.”
