Sunday Alcohol Sales Will Cost Retailers $1,100 Each Year

Dunwoody residents overwhelmingly cast their votes last week to have the freedom to buy booze on Sundays.

The Dunwoody City Council wants to collect a fee for those sales.

Monday, the council approved a fee schedule for licensing Sunday package sales.

Package retailers that would like to sell alcohol on Sundays will be assessed a $1,100 annual fee for the right to sell liquor on Sundays. The city charges the same price for Sunday sales at bars and restaurants, a fee set in 2009.

The annual fee is the same price as most other cities that passed the referendum on Sunday alcohol sales, city officials said.

Stores currently pay $4,000 for an alcohol sales license.

Councilman Robert Wittenstein found the fee structure for Sunday sales resolution a little odd. 

“I’m going to encourage that we not pass this,” Wittenstein said. “Three years ago when we passed the fee for alcohol sales by the drink on Sunday, I objected then. I’ll object on the same grounds today. Six days a week the license is $4,000 a year, that’s $666 a day. I don’t see why we wouldn’t have the same fee for Sunday.”

“I don’t know we need to add a new tax just because we can,” he added.

Wittenstein and Councilman John Heneghan both voted against the resolution, which passed 5-2.