Perquimans officials are likely to have more information at commissioners’ upcoming May 6th meeting about the county’s efforts to put a countywide liquor-by-the-drink referendum on the November ballot.
That’s according to Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman Charles Woodard, who said Monday that County Manager Frank Heath and the county’s attorney, Hackney High, are currently working on draft language for the referendum.
Sales of liquor by the drink are now permitted inside the town limits of Hertford because of successful passage of a voter referendum some years ago. The referendum doesn’t apply to areas outside the town limits, however, and that’s affecting restaurants and event venues that want to sell liquor by the drink to customers or patrons.
“We had some people who wanted to serve alcoholic beverages but they can’t right now,” Woodard said. “People want to be able to serve alcohol at wedding receptions, wedding venue places where receptions are held. Restaurants outside the town want to be able to serve alcohol by the drink but they can’t get a license to do so right now.”
Woodard noted that the “only place” in Perquimans outside the Hertford town limits where it’s legal to serve liquor by the drink is Albemarle Plantation.
“They have a golf course with a restaurant, so they can serve liquor by the drink in the restaurant,” he said. “We had somebody who came last year and asked about it. We’ve been looking at it since then.”
Woodard was apparently referring to Crawfish Shack owners Marty and Sheryl Hurdle, who advised Perquimans commissioners in May 2023 that they would like to be able to sell liquor by the drink at their venue. Currently, businesses in unincorporated areas of the county like Swing Gate Road, where the Crawfish Shack is located, aren’t eligible under state law to obtain a liquor-by-the-drink license.
High, the county attorney, explained last year that event venues such as the Crawfish Shack are allowed to serve — but not sell — liquor without a regular liquor-by-the-drink license. There are special permits that allow events to be held at which liquor is served.
But in order for the Crawfish Shack to be eligible for a license to sell liquor by the drink, High said, the county would have to have an ABC Board and an ABC store.
County officials have discussed a possible merger of a county ABC Board with the town of Hertford’s existing ABC board. That board’s members include Town Councilor Joseph W. Hoffler, J.C. Cole, Kim Brinn and Brooke Crouch.
The town of Hertford’s April 22 meeting agenda listed “ABC Store Merger with County” as an item of new business for discussion. Mayor Ashley Hodges said in an email that council took no action on the matter.
“Council has yet to see a proposal,” he said. “There’s not a lot to share in terms of specific details, other than to say the county has approached the town about a merger to enable liquor to be sold in establishments outside the town of Hertford.”
He said the potential benefit of a merger of ABC boards “would be the possibility of increased revenue.”
Heath, the Perquimans County manager, said in an email that the county’s intent is to ask the Perquimans Board of Elections “to put the issue of (countywide liquor by the drink) to the voters on the November ballot.” He said that High, the county attorney, is currently formulating the referendum spelling out the details.
County officials will need to take a number of steps before a referendum appears on the November ballot, Woodard said. He expects the public will learn more about the proposed referendum at commissioners’ next meeting on Monday. Perquimans commissioners’ meetings are held at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the Perquimans County Library.
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