GEORGETOWN, Texas — On Tuesday, Georgetown City Council will start a discussion to extend the hours at which beer, wine and mixed drinks can be sold.
Winery hours won't be extended, but retailers who sell beer and wine would be able to sell the alcohol until 2 a.m., all week long.
As of now, beer, mixed-drinks and wine from retailers can be sold from 7 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Friday.
On Saturdays, businesses that sell alcohol have extended hours until 1 a.m., and on Sundays, sales cannot start earlier than 10 a.m.
Liquor sales can only take place Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and not on Sunday.
Wine from wineries can be sold from 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to midnight on Sundays.
If the new guidelines were to pass through city council, wine and beer retailers would be able to sell until 2 a.m., seven days a week. The same would happen with beer and mixed-drink sales. However, liquor sales and winery sales would stay the same.
RELATED:
There are only a handful of bars that stay open to midnight and 1 a.m. in Georgetown. Of those, there have been mixed reviews of the idea.
One, whose manager declined to be formally interviewed, said the proposed rule change is a great idea and one the business has been waiting for. Another, also whose manager declined to be formally interviewed without the expressed consent of the owners, said it may not be the best idea.
Winery owners – although their businesses would not be affected in terms of hours – generally had bad feelings about the idea and told KVUE it may lead to people being drunker at later hours, presenting a safety issue.
Generally, people drinking beer and wine in the downtown square on Sunday afternoon liked the idea.
Dean Stanfield, who grew up in Georgetown, said he likes the idea because he can stay closer to home.
“Normally, what we’ll do is we’ll come down here until 11, then go to the Round Rock area or Austin to have a few more beers instead of going back to the house," Stanfield said.
Others near him expressed support for his response, saying it makes things safer because then people who are drinking in Georgetown, won't have to drive long distances and instead can use a ride-share or walk around downtown continuing to drink.
Stanfield continued addressing others' concerns about late-night drinking. He believes Georgetown has cultured an environment of controlled drinking, not partying.
“I don’t see this place turning into Austin or San Marcos or anything like that, a college party town," Stanfield said. "It’s just Georgetown people having a few more beers. The environment that we try to bring here in Georgetown – everybody is cool, everybody is calm, there’s not a whole lot of fights. I don’t think extending it an extra hour is going to make any of that extra stuff happen.”
Stanfield also hopes extending the hours of serving alcohol will encourage more bars to open around town.
City council will discuss the changes, but not take any action, in the regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: