The Loganville City Council took all of a half hour Monday morning to become the first city in metro Atlanta to let its residents decide whether to allow Sunday sales of alcohol.
The city, which straddles the Gwinnett-Walton county line, received numerous calls and requests asking for the November referendum. Dozens of other cities across the region are taking up the issue this week and next. Few expect Loganville's voters to be alone in the fall.
"It's about time we get to have our say," said Joey Hornbuckle, a Georgia State economics student who attended rallies in support of Sunday sales.
Gov. Nathan Deal has pledged to -- but so far has not -- signed Senate Bill 10, the legislation that would let local communities decide on the retail sale of beer, liquor and wine on Sundays.
Despite the issue raging in the Legislature for five years, Loganville’s speedy act underscores how blasé many metro Atlanta communities are about the once-heated topic.
State Rep. Len Walker, a minister and Republican from Loganville, argued forcefully against allowing package sales on Sunday as a cop-out by legislators unwilling to take a moral stand. But his city voted 5-1 to put it on the ballot.
And there are no heated preacher-grocer debates raging in other metro Atlanta cities that have started the discussion, such as Dunwoody, Snellville and Smyrna. Religious conservatives have said they will cede much of metro Atlanta.
The question has become intensely local because most cities face local elections this year, making them the first to decide whether to take up the Sunday sales question.
Atlanta won't be among them, since there are no local races and officials there aren't willing to pay for a special election just for booze. Metro counties such as DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett also may not have a vote, unless school referendums end up on the November ballot. Cherokee County, though, is slated to talk about the issue this week.
Lawrenceville Mayor Judy Johnson said she worries that a referendum would dominate the local debate and end up being why voters choose one candidate over another.
"I would hate to see one issue define an election for someone," said Johnson, who would not give her stance on Sunday sales.
Leaders in Johns Creek and Sandy Springs are leaning toward putting the question up in 2012 to capture more voters in a busy election year.
Nearby Roswell would likely put it up for a public vote only if people asked for it, something Mayor Jere Wood said hasn’t happened yet.
“It’s not a burning issue,” Wood said “We actually deal with real problems at City Hall and not symbols like they do at the Capitol.”
It may not be a priority to many shopkeepers and voters, either, even as many say they would approve a referendum in their communities.
Amir Nayani, a manager of a Chevron Food Mart in DeKalb, would sell beer and wine on Sundays if he could. He's certain there would be people who would want that option. But he isn't pushing the issue.
"I think it would benefit us a little bit, but it's a hassle too because now we have at least one calm day," Nayani said.
The benefits to retailers are in fact minimal, according to studies done by Mark Stehr, an economics professor at Drexel University. Other states that repealed their Sunday ban saw a 2.8 percent bump for liquor sales and a 2.3 percent increase for beer. That's actually higher than what Georgia can expect since one state -- New Mexico -- saw a much larger increase and skewed the overall figure.
"I think even 2 percent is high for what you can expect," Stehr said. "It will have minimal impact."
While the blogosphere and Twitterverse and well-attended rallies demonstrated support for SB 10 this winter voters across the region have shrugged when asked for their take on the issue.
“Every once and a while I’m at the store and I forget it’s Sunday,” said Kelly Turner, a food and beverage manager from Decatur. “So that would be more convenient. But I won’t be jonesing one way or the other.”
Decatur has just one grocery store compared with dozens of restaurants and pubs that already serve alcohol by the drink on Sundays.
That deflates any economic argument to have a vote, Mayor Bill Floyd said.
Still, the city is apt to put a referendum on the ballot for one simple reason: “It may be easier to do it now, get it out of the way and move on to other issues,” he said.
No one has made a pitch in Suwanee yet. That’s fine with officials, who think it’s premature to talk about holding a referendum without the governor’s signature on the bill.
Still, like many other cities, Mayor Dave Williams said he has an idea of what Suwanee will do when it’s time. There will likely be a referendum, he said.
“I’d be surprised if didn’t pass," Williams said, "but it’s probably too early to talk about it.”
Staff writers Johnny Edwards and Christopher Quinn contributed to this article.
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