Liquor Store hearing set for Nov. 17 in West Concord

West Concord residents will get a chance to express their opinions on the future of the West Concord Municipal Liquor Store at a public hearing later this month. The hearing is mandated by state law as the liquor store has finished two of the past three years in the red.
The hearing will give residents the opportunity to discuss the issues surrounding the liquor and give their opinions to city council members, said City Administrator Kay Hanson. No decisions will be made at the hearing, she said, and the council anticipates making no decisions until after the first quarter of 2016.
“They’re going to re-evaluate it after the first quarter next year,” she said. “One quarter is not a sufficient time to make a judgement.”
The council re-organized liquor store operations at the end of the third quarter of 2015 and has taken a number of steps to encourage more business.
The re-organization included eliminating the manager’s position and turning the management duties over to Hanson.
“Our staff has been exceptional,” Hanson said. “They have stepped up, taken on extra duties and taken ownership of the situation.”
City staff members not normally employed by the store have also helped out by working at the liquor store and special events have been organized to increase business.
A series of meat raffles on Friday nights is the latest project to get people into the store and city officials say they have been successful.
The liquor store has struggled for a number of years as it competes with the bigger stores in larger cities in the area, Hanson said, and similar public hearings on the viability of the store have been held in the past.
Hanson said the council sees the importance of the store to the community and is not making any decisions quickly. She also said the city realizes that taxpayer dollars are involved and that transparency is needed.