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Brunch bill: Gwinnett likely to call vote on earlier Sunday drink sales

Roswell is the latest city to advance an ordinance allowing earlier Sunday sales of alcohol under Georgia’s recently passed “Sunday brunch bill.” AJC FILE
Roswell is the latest city to advance an ordinance allowing earlier Sunday sales of alcohol under Georgia’s recently passed “Sunday brunch bill.” AJC FILE
By
July 23, 2018

It appears Gwinnett residents will indeed get a chance to vote on earlier Sunday alcohol sales at local restaurants.

The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote Tuesday night on adding a referendum on the matter to ballots during November’s general election.

Georgia restaurants currently cannot start selling alcoholic beverages until 12:30 p.m. on Sundays. New legislation approved earlier this year — Senate Bill 17, dubbed the "Brunch Bill" — lets voters decide if their local establishments should be able to start selling at 11 a.m.

If the commissioners approve the call for a referendum, the question would be included on ballots during the Nov. 6 election.

If Gwinnett voters’ performance during the county’s 2012 referendum on Sunday package sales is any indication, the Brunch Bill would likely be successful. About two-thirds of voters supported that referendum.

County officials are also weighing the possibility of adding an even higher-profile referendum to November's ballots: transit expansion.

The more than $5 billion potential road map for new transit, for the first time, includes commuter rail service.

About the Author

Before taking over the AJC's Sports Daily newsletter, Tyler Estep spent two years writing the A.M. ATL newsletter. A Gwinnett County native and University of Georgia graduate, he has been with the AJC since 2015 and previously worked as a reporter on the breaking news, hyperlocal and local government teams.

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