COURT HOUSE – Middle Township Committee’s April 15 work session was partially devoted to a discussion of the municipality’s sixth plenary consumption liquor license.
The township qualified for the license based on its population level as confirmed in the 2010 federal census. State law allows one such license for every 3,000 individuals and that census placed the township over the 18,000 level needed to qualify for the sixth license.
Some in the public suggested auctioning the sixth license as a way to garner revenue for the municipal budget. Mayor Timothy Donohue placed the item on the work session agenda to clarify issues that the township is wrestling with before any sale of the license.
“The license is a valuable asset,” Donohue said, “and it is important that we treat it like an asset.”
Business Administrator Kimberly Krauss provided a summary of the township’s current licenses. She indicated that the municipality has five active plenary consumption licenses. These are licenses that support full bars and restaurants where food may be served and alcoholic beverages consumed on premises.
The last such license went to Menz Restaurant and sold for $775,000, according to reports at the meeting.
Krauss noted that the township has two retail distribution licenses and that the distribution license purchased by Acme in May 2000 sold for $652,000.
Donohue explained that “the landscape has changed in the almost 20 years since we awarded a license.” He cited the growth of local breweries, wineries, and distilleries, all of which had no presence two decades ago.
Dennis Roberts, owner of the Bellevue Tavern and holder of one of the active licenses, argued that the township should not take an action that would devalue existing licenses. He said that no sale of a liquor license now would bring the price last paid by Menz.
Bob Noel, president of the Middle Township Chamber of Commerce, expressed an opposing view, arguing that the liquor license has the ability to attract business to the township. His argument was not about the one-time revenue the sale of the license might bring to municipal coffers.
Noel stressed the need for businesses and entertainment in the township that creates a “want-to-come” attitude, drawing people from the islands to the mainland for an evening of dinner and shopping.
Donohue said that the state liquor laws are in flux. Many existing regulations did not anticipate the strong growth in breweries and similar establishments.
Using breweries as an example, Donohue spoke of ambivalence at the state level about what it would and would not allow a brewery license owner to do, creating a changing competitive landscape.
“There are a lot of moving parts as we look at what to do with the license,” Donohue said.
The work session served its purpose of allowing an exchange of views concerning the license. What the governing body will eventually do with the license remains unclear.
The public was assured that the license would remain a municipal asset regardless of the results of the 2020 census. It effectively sits on a shelf awaiting a decision about its best use.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
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