Montgomery County residents may soon be able to restock their liquor cabinets on Sundays.
Councilman Mike Knapp (D-Germantown) has proposed allowing liquor stores in the county to open on Sundays, according to the Washington Examiner.
Knapp says the county could make an additional $1.5 to $2 million a year by opening the stores one extra day. That could help close the county’s nearly $1 billion budget hole.
“That’s not taxing anybody… it’s just providing access to a product people already want to purchase on Sundays as opposed to not having it available on Sundays, “ Knapp told the Examiner. “That seems to be pretty much a no brainer.”
Alcohol sales are tightly controlled in Montgomery County. Hard liquors can only be purchased at county-owned liquor stores. The county also distributes to restaurants and private stores.
County Executive Ike Leggett has said he’s open to the idea. Spokesman Patrick Lacefield, however, told the Examiner that there are some concerns. First, many people may already be accustomed to buying liquor other days of the week. Lacefield said they are also concerns that the increased competition could hurt privately owned wine stores and restaurants.
