Douglas County will seek a Sunday liquor by the drink referendum on a Sept. 15 ballot if the Board of Commissioners (BOC) approves the notice of election resolution today.

This item will be part of the regular 10 a.m. BOC meeting in Citizens Hall at the county courthouse.

“We’re not going to attract good restaurants in the unincorporated county without this ordinance,” Commission Chairman Tom Worthan told a Monday morning BOC work session.

Much of the discussion centered on a restaurant and conference center planned near Thornton Road. The business at Hilton Garden Inn - Atlanta West will include a large restaurant and conference room seating more than 200 people. The business licensee, Taghi Nourollahi, is requesting a beer, wine and liquor license at today’s BOC meeting.

The commissioners noted that without the Sunday sales ordinance, restaurants are inclined to seek city annexation. Douglasville has a Sunday liquor by the drink ordinance.

Three of the other four commissioners indicated they will likely vote for the resolution today.

“It’s important for us to have this (ordinance) to compete,” said District 2 Commissioner Kelly Robinson. “I hate to have to go outside the county to eat in a good restaurant.”

“The county doesn’t get any hotel-motel tax if the business locates in the city,” said District 3 Commissioner Mike Mulcare.

“I’m opposed to losing revenue to the city,” District 1 Commissioner Freddie Ashmon Jr. said.

District 4 Commissioner David Latham, who has always voted against all alcoholic beverage resolutions, said he will also vote against this one.

James Bell, leader of the Douglas County Taxpayers Coalition, in a pre-work session public comment Monday, questioned why the election couldn’t be held 50 days later and placed on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. He said that would save the taxpayers about $45,000, the cost of a special election.

Worthan said the hotel-motel taxes generated would quickly pay the cost of the election.

“We have a lot of issues pending on this vote,” Worthan said, citing the Thornton Road restaurant and the planned Foxhall resort community on Capps Ferry Road. He noted that liquor licenses bring in $5,000 each and the hotel-motel tax is 7 percent.

County Attorney Ken Bernard said that once the BOC approves the referendum resolution, it triggers a state-mandated timetable which will place the election within the Sept. 15 state approved election window. The election could be held Nov. 3, but it would require a later BOC vote to stay within the state guidelines.

Other items on today’s BOC agenda include:

• authorization to give notice to cities in Douglas County of plans to seek a special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) referendum Nov. 3 (see separate story);

• calculation and payment of county Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) benefits under new formula created by the county’s legal department and internal auditor;

• authorization to accept a check for $52,000 from Bank of North Georgia for the sidewalk fund due from a residential development;

• agreement with Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) for phase two of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) which could bring another $3.8 million in federal stimulus funds to buy and refurbish foreclosed houses;

• receipt of $2,500 funding from the Council of Juvenile Court Judges to purchase psychological evaluation services and drug screening kits, with no matching funds required;

• approval of state grant award for the Family Drug Court in Juvenile Court in depravation cases, to be used for salary and state training, with no matching funds required;

• acceptance of a $106,871 Bureau of Justice grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for the sheriff’s office, district attorney’s office and solicitor general;

• acceptance of $340,000 in Federal Transit Administration stimulus funds to buy 10 new vans and two utility vehicles for the Rideshare program;

• authorization to hold the second annual Last Chance Triathlon at Boundary Waters Park on Oct. 11 and enter into an agreement with Dave Johnson Enterprises to conduct the event;

• authorization for the U.S. Travel Ball Association to host the Summer National Championship Games from July 20-25 at Boundary Waters Park;

• acceptance of $10,000 in sheriff’s office forfeiture funds to cover special training expenses;

• amendment to the Fiscal Year 2009 Aging Services contract with the ARC;

• addition of a deputy’s position for a school resource officer at the new Mason Creek Middle School, funded by the Douglas County School System;

• acceptance of $113,695 each from the sheriff’s asset forfeiture fund and the Douglasville Police forfeiture fund to provide $227,390 for the joint purchase of an armored vehicle to be used by both agencies’ tactical units;

• and contract with West Georgia Technical College to correct the name on previous contracts which were with “West Central Technical College.” The college officially changed its name July 1 upon merger with West Georgia Technical College in LaGrange.