All Finish Line Has to do is hire a local black attorney and WHAMO Sunday sales!!!
Without a word spoken about it, the Augusta Commission "ratified" giving Limelite Cafe back its Sunday alcohol license Thursday, overturning a decision by the License and Inspection Department to pull it after finding less than a quarter of the pub's revenues come from food.
The license was actually restored Jan. 15 when the cafe on Agerton Lane showed the license department a letter signed by seven commissioners authorizing Sunday sales for a six-month probationary period.
According to one attorney, returning the license before a vote by the full commission raises questions of compliance with Georgia's open meetings law.
License and Inspection Director Rob Sherman had recommended against the license at a Jan. 12 committee meeting, when Limelite's attorney, Ben Allen, asked commissioners to let the cafe sell alcohol on Sundays while on probation.
Mr. Sherman said he'll work with businesses whose food sales are in the 40 percent range, but at 23 percent, Limelite Cafe is clearly a bar, he said. To be considered a restaurant and be eligible for Sunday sales, at least half of revenues must come from food, the director said.
The Public Services committee -- which couldn't settle the issue, only make a recommendation for the full commission -- split 2-2 on Mr. Allen's request. But the attorney approached commissioners individually and got seven to sign a letter authorizing probation with Sunday sales.
Mr. Sherman said only the commission can overturn his decisions. If that's the case, Georgia Press Association attorney David Hudson said last week, the action was illegal because a letter signed by a majority of commissioners is no more than "a straw poll."
Thursday's meeting agenda included a motion to "ratify" Limelite's authorization letter. Commissioner Jerry Brigham, one of the seven who signed it, asked for it to be put on the consent agenda. It passed unanimously in a bundle with more than 50 other items.
Commissioner Calvin Holland, who said last week he'd address the issue Thursday, said he decided against doing so because, with seven commissioners' support, the motion was going to pass anyway.
But he said giving special treatment to Limelite has put the city in "a precarious position." Finish Line Cafe, which lost its license over 35 percent food revenues, has already asked for its Sunday alcohol sales back.
"What's going to happen is," Mr. Holland said of Limelite, "I don't think they're going to reach the 50 percent food sales."
Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.
In other business
The Augusta Commission:
- Approved an increase in bus fares from $1 to $1.25 and an increase in transfers from 35 to 50 cents. Saturday bus service was left intact, against the recommendation of Augusta Public Transit Director Heyward Johnson, who had been told to cut $1.5 million to account for a budget deficit. The move puts the commission about $1.4 million behind in its goal of getting through the year without a tax rate increase or another dip into reserve funds. The motion also called for the commission to support state legislation allowing cities to collect sales taxes to pay for transit.
- Eliminated the Human Relations Commission's staff, which investigated discrimination complaints. The commission will remain intact as an advisory board.
- Approved a false alarm ordinance. Businesses and homeowners will be fined after the third time a faulty alarm system summons a deputy. The fines are $25 for the fourth and fifth alarms, $50 for the sixth and seventh and $100 thereafter.
- Approved a resolution supporting the Richmond County Development Authority's issuing of $19 million in taxable bonds to finance a Bass Pro Shops store at the Village at Riverwatch development. The bonds must be paid back over a 20-year period.
- Approved a contract split for two companies hired to do the same job -- ground testing and construction materials inspections -- in the new judicial center. The work will be split, with Graves Engineering paid as much as $122,000 and ATC Associates Inc., as much as $130,698.
- Approved moving commission chambers to a second-floor Municipal Building courtroom after the courts move to the new judicial center, and moving the Lady Justice statue at the Municipal Building to the new judicial center.
-- From staff reports
Comments
All Finish Line Has to do is hire a local black attorney and WHAMO Sunday sales!!!
The commissoners who signed anything regarding changing the rules mid stream were certainly wrong in their actions. The make Director Rob Sherman look as if he is not doing his job correctly, place other statutes of our city in jeopardy and certainly open the entire commission and county up to additional law suits. If they believed the business deserved another chance (although already given one by the inspection department) then they should have voiced their opinion in an open meeting vs. as individuals in writing. In reality, the law should probably be changed anyway but as long as it is the way it is, they should support the oridinance and those whom they have hired to enforce said ordaninances. Actions such as this are terrible for morale in departments such as license and inspections and make inspectors simply ask theirselves why bother? Why go enforce the rules if every time we do the politicians just make continued exceptions and major ones at that.
"Saturday bus service was left intact, against the recommendation of Augusta Public Transit Director Heyward Johnson" ---- Augusta needs a new APT director, seriously. The last thing Augusta needs is a transportation director working against the needs of the very people who use public transportation. Same can be said of commissioners who think APT should operate like a business, instead of a service. Do they expect the street sweepers to generate income, too?? You do it so your citizens can get to school; get to work; and yes, buy things from local businesses. Want to generate money? Tax the businesses that get all those bus riders to shop at their stores (or get businesses to welcome them more to shop to add to your tax base). Accommodation works wonders!
If the silly restriction on Sunday alcohol sales was done away with, the increased tax revenue could be given to the entitlement people to keep the bus running more days. Happy, happy, joy, joy. Everyone would be "serviced".
I agree with you Patrica 100%. My bar suffered due to the times we had to close and not being able to be open on Sunday's. I bet the commissioners looked at the amount of taxes the Lime Lite paid each month and reconsidered killing one of the geese who keeps the golden eggs coming.
As it is, all Finish Line has to do is set up a corrective action plan and ask to be on probation, color is not the issue here, sorry.
I dont understand how you make your customers eat more food. If you offer food, but they dont order it, the business gets penalized? This sunday sales stuff is nonsense. I guess they can do something like the comedy club used to do, instead of a two drink minimum, its a 6 wing minimun, then you get to have a cold beer.
---------Accommodation works wonders!
Posted by SandyK2005 on Fri Jan 23, 2009 5:24 AM---------------That's crap. Public Housing/Welfare/Medicaid/EBT and a variety of other Accommodations for the poor has evolved countless viable Human Beings into Permanent Dependants on the public dole. This mentality's effect should have been clearly evidenced when the bus riding sector of the population began fraudulently using Hotel/Motel Key passes to ride for free. This showed an adaptation of an entitlement minded sector to "get over" by any means necessary. How low will the "ship" sink before the Commissionerss realize that the "dead weight" has to go?
Don't blame the bar, blame the commission. Now meet me at Limelite for some wings.
If they would stop trying to pass stupid regulations and then inforce them we could save a lot of money. Who cares about the % of food sales anyhow.
The "no alcohol on Sunday" thing needs to be done away with anyway. The city wants money to fix things up with then why not let these businesses apply for a sunday alcohol sales permit or something. It's a win-win. City gets money, businesses get revenue, and the people get to drink (if that is their thing).
SSDD with PT. I'm glad she only drives on private roads and not those taxpayer provided and supported roads for the "entitlement people" use to go to work shop etc. She must not go very far. I don't understand how the no sales on Sunday can pass muster Constitutionally. I know they can regulate alcohol sales but Sunday? Why not Wednesday? I wonder.
The bars should have a $3 hotdog and you get a beer for free. What The Commission needs to look into is a Casino. If underground Atlanta can get one I think we should to. We have a perfect spot on the river we already have millions into. Instead for selling the property to the casino they should allow them to build it with their own money and the city collect rent and a percentage of the profits. This would make Augusta a vacation destination.
Casino is a excellent idea. Just don't try to open it on Sunday.
The state delegation determined the Sunday sales law, not the commission. It's the dumbest law next to the fact that we can gamble on the lottery but we can't gamble on horse races!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's time to end this ridiculous ban on alcohol sales on Sundays. If it's legal every other day of the week then it should be legal on Sunday. This law is only in place to placate certain religous groups. I've always said that if you don't want to be around alcoholic beverages, then don't go where they're being served. If there is such a public safety concern on sunday with alcohol sales, then certainly there would be the same concern for every OTHER day of the week. We shouldn't be making religous laws, and that's what this is.. we're not Saudi Arabia or Iran.
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