By Betsy Finklea
Voters in the City of Dillon will be deciding whether or not to allow Sunday Alcohol Sales in the city when they vote in the general election on Tuesday, November 3rd.
There will be two local questions on the ballot pertaining to the issue that will be on the ballots of City of Dillon residents only.
The two questions read as follows:
“QUESTION 1: Shall the South Carolina Department of Revenue be authorized to issue temporary permits in the City of Dillon for a period not to exceed twenty four hours to allow the possession, sale, and consumption of alcoholic liquors by the drink to bona fide nonprofit organizations and business establishments otherwise authorized to be licensed for consumption-on-premises sales?”
Voters will choose “Yes, In Favor of the Question” or “No, Opposed to the Question.”
“QUESTION 2: Shall the Department of Revenue be authorized to issue temporary permits in the City of Dillon for a period not to exceed twenty-four hours to allow the sale of beer and wine at permitted off-premises locations without regard to the days or hours of sale?” Voters will choose “Yes, In Favor of the Question” or “No, Opposed to the Question.”
Question One is asking whether restaurants should be allowed to serve beer, wine, and liquor on Sunday for on-premises consumption at the restaurant. An example would be buying a drink and consuming it at a restaurant on Sunday.
Question Two is asking whether grocery stores and convenience stores can sell beer and wine for offsite consumption. An example is buying beer or wine and then taking it off-site to consume at home.
These locations would have a permit for Monday thru Saturday sales and would have to have an additional permit for Sunday.
The possibility of Sunday Alcohol Sales was first discussed at a City of Dillon Council meeting in February 2020. It was stated that Dillon County was the only county in the Pee Dee region who did not have Sunday Alcohol Sales. During the discussion, it was noted that one of the reasons they were not going to recruit restaurants or hotels to the city was due to lack of Sunday Alcohol Sales. It was also noted that the city can have Sunday Alcohol Sales without it being allowed in the entire county. Voters can pass both questions, pass one question and not the other question, or reject both questions.
If the questions are passed, the S.C. Department of Revenue will determine the start date once they review the election results and prepare permits for the businesses.