Editorial: Signing of alcohol bill is merely postponement

Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, has taken heat from some of his constituents for his vote against Senate Bill 10, the measure signed earlier this week by Gov. Nathan Deal that will allow communities around the state to decide whether they want alcohol sold in stores on Sunday.

While this newspaper's editorial board was supportive of Senate Bill 10's provisions for local referendums on Sunday alcohol sales, it would be remiss not to give Cowsert credit for the clear-eyed suggestion, which he offered as an explanation for his vote against the bill, that it makes no sense to handle the alcohol sales issue in piecemeal fashion around the state.

The likely result of the governor's signing of Senate Bill 10 will be a hodgepodge of confusing regulations that will vary from county to county, and even from city to city within a given county.

There are a number of reasons for that likely confusion, including the fact that the legislation sets no time period by which interested communities have to hold a referendum, should the local governing authority ever choose to put it on a ballot.

While a handful of Georgia cities have already signaled their intent to hold a referendum at the first available opportunity, there are dozens of counties, and hundreds of cities, that might or might not be interested in holding a vote in a timely fashion, if ever.

And that isn't the only variable associated with the legislation. The bill requires one vote on Sunday store sales of beer and wine, and another vote on Sunday store sales of distilled spirits.

While both votes could be held in the same referendum, it's possible that some communities might opt to OK sales of one category of alcohol, but not the other.

Finally, Senate Bill 10 allows communities to decide in any referendum on Sunday alcohol sales whether those sales will be allowed for all, or part, of the 12:30 p

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