Council to consider microbrewery license fee

Published 11:13 pm Friday, February 27, 2015

The Dalton City Council could make it easier for microbreweries and microdistilleries to open inside the city.

The council will hold the first reading Monday of an ordinance that would set a $225 license fee for microbreweries and microdistilleries. The council meets for a work session at 5:30 p.m. in the third floor conference room of City Hall and for its regular meeting at 6 p.m. in the council chamber.

“The brewing and distilling license in the city of Dalton is $4,000 a year. We have a microdistillery that is trying to open downtown, and the owner said that was excessive,” said City Administrator Ty Ross. “We looked at our law. It’s about 20 years old and was really aimed more at a Budweiser or something like that, so the council asked to look at a change that would set up a fee for microbreweries and microdistilleries.”

Council members will also consider a $62,000 contract with GFI Services of Calhoun for a fence around the Broaddus-Durkan Soccer Complex and a $117,879 contract with Griffin Co. of Dalton for a new walking track at the soccer complex.

Council members are also scheduled to hold the second reading and vote on an ordinance that would allow companies pursuing a zero waste policy to ship some flammable waste out of the county to be incinerated for energy. The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners approved a similar law earlier this month. Current law requires all waste generated in the city to be placed in the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority landfill.