Columbus County voters will have three separate alcohol questions before them this November: beer, wine, and mixed beverage sales.
For me, the issue is bigger than alcohol. It’s about whether a business located a few miles outside a town limit should operate under a different set of rules than a business located inside that town.
Today a customer can drive into Whiteville, Chadbourn, Tabor City or other municipalities in Columbus County and legally purchase alcohol from properly permitted businesses. Yet a qualified business in an unincorporated part of the same county may not have that same opportunity simply because of where the property line falls.
Columbus County talks frequently about economic development, supporting small business and encouraging investment in our rural communities. Those goals should include giving qualified rural businesses the opportunity to compete under the same basic marketplace rules as businesses located inside our municipalities. Our rural stores, restaurants and small businesses already face enough challenges. They compete with larger chains, rising operating costs and businesses in neighboring communities.
I see that difference firsthand. I own a business inside the City of Whiteville, where I have applied and received the appropriate permits to sell beer and unfortified wine under North Carolina law. Yet if I expand my agriculture property in unincorporated Columbus County to include Agri-tourism, farm events or other visitor experiences, those same opportunities would not necessarily be available simply because the property sits outside a municipal boundary. Same county, yet a different result because of geography.
Because countywide alcohol sales were not previously approved, individual municipalities later held their own local-option elections. That result today is a competitive disadvantage leaving business in unincorporated Columbus County operating under a different set of rules. When government rules give one business access to products that a nearby competitor cannot legally offer, geography becomes part of the competitive equation.
Allowing the sales does not mean abandoning regulations. Businesses would still have to qualify for the appropriate permits, comply with North Carolina ABC laws, follow age restrictions and operate within the rules established by the state.
It’s important that voters understand what they are considering:
Question 1 – concerns the on- and off- premises sale of malt beverages
Question 2 – concerns the on- and off- premises sale of unfortified wine.
Question 3 – concerns mixed beverages in qualifying hotels, restaurants, private clubs, community theaters and convention centers, along with beer and wine sales in qualified establishments
Each question stands on its own. Voters can approve or reject each one separately. That means any combination of “yes” and “no” votes are possible. Partial passage would only partially address the competitive differences that exist today. All three measures would need to be passed to provide the broadest level playing field within Columbus County. Important to note, nothing on this ballot would take away alcohol-sale privileges already approved within Columbus County municipalities.
I applaud the County Commissioners for putting these questions before the voters and allowing the citizens of Columbus County to decide for themselves.
I understand that some residents oppose expanded alcohol sales for personal, religious or community reasons, and they have every right to express that view at the ballot box. Others may look at the issue through the lens of economic development, consumer choice and equal treatment of businesses. That is exactly why this referendum belongs before the voters.
Whatever decision voters make on November 3, it should be made with a clear understanding of what is on the ballot and what it means for our businesses, our rural communities and future economic development of Columbus County
For me, the fundamental question is simple: Should a municipal boundary continue to determine which otherwise-qualified Columbus County business can compete in the same marketplace?
All of Columbus County should have the opportunity to operate under one fair set of rules.
That’s my quarter’s worth. See you on the flip side. The rest is up to the voters.
Patty Nieman is a business and property owner in Columbus County
