Seven Applications Received for Two Package Store Licences to be Issued in Loganville

Seven applications have been filed for the two licenses the City of Loganville will issue for package stores in the city. One will be issued for a package store in Gwinnett Coounty and one in Walton County, officials say.

City Manager Bill Jones said three people filed the seven applications, two of them submitting three applications and one person just submitting one.

"The applications were filed by the attorneys so I won't know exactly who they are until the applications are opened on Monday," Jones said. "They have been placed in a secure place and we will keep the correct chain of command until they can be opened."

The city of Grayson had run into problems last year with its first package store. Joe Kalish, who had organized a petition drive to get the package store on the ballot and through the election process for Grayson, did not end up being the successful applicant. That went to Richard Tucker who has since opened Beverage Superstore of Grayson. Jones said officials in Loganville were determined not to make the same mistakes.

The Loganville City Council voted during the November city council meeting to hold separate lotteries for two package stores in town. The applications will cost $200 to file and the successful applicants will pay $4,500 each for the licenses. The lucky winners will be drawn on April 11.

"February will be spent checking to make sure the applications are in compliance with all the requirements and the most of March will likely be used for anyone to appeal if they need to," Jones said. "We will have (Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners) Chairman Charlotte Nash do the drawing for the Gwinnett County one and (Walton County BOC Chairman) Kevin Little will be here to draw the winner for the license in Walton County.

Under Georgia law, no more than two licenses for a package store can be held by any one applicant, but if an applicant holds no other license, and has qualifying property in both Walton and Gwinnett County, the applicant could effectively submit an application for each lottery. Since two of the three applicants have filed three applications each, they likely each have three qualifying properties. Jones said he is not sure, however, how many of the seven applications are in Gwinnett and how many are in Walton.

"We won't know that until the letters have been opened," Jones said.

The measure for the package stores was approved by voters after a drive by one of the potential applicants to get the issue on the ballot in November. Georgia law, however, does not make it possible to give that person an edge in the process.