Elaine Blaisdell
MCHENRY — Debbe Owston, administrator to the Garrett County Liquor Control Board, requested that local legislators support a referendum vote for Sunday liquor sales both on and off premises. Numerous establishments have on-premise sales for alcoholic beverages and can sell an alcoholic beverage with a meal on Sunday between 1 and 10 p.m., and the vote would allow other establishments to do the same.
“There are several precincts or election districts that can’t do that and they compete with the other establishments that can,” said Owston during a public prelegislative meeting Thursday evening at Garrett College. “We have had zero complaints about Sunday sales in a restaurant with a meal. This is the first time the liquor board has proposed a referendum vote.”
The vote would be for districts and precincts of a district, according to Owston.
The off-premises sales would allow package stores to sell take-out alcoholic beverages from 1 to 10 p.m.
Jim Laskaris, owner of Deep Creek Beverage; Gary Sisler, owner of Exxon in McHenry; and Richard Stuck, owner of the Exxon in Grantsville, Oakland Oil & Propane, and several other businesses spoke in favor of Sunday sales.