Hillsdale business owners ask committee to ease ballot path for Sunday liquor sales

The House Regulatory Reform Committee heard testimony on House Bill 4398, sponsored by Representative Wirtz, which would change how Hillsdale County residents can vote on repealing a local ban on on-premise spirit sales on Sundays. Sponsors said the county is the only one in Michigan that still bars on-premise spirit sales on Sundays, and they urged procedural changes to make a local ballot initiative more feasible.

"Hillsdale County is the only county left in the state that has a blue law, which prevents on-premise consumption of liquor on Sundays," Representative Wirtz said. She said the current petition process requires a high threshold of signatures and confusing ballot language. "This bill would add clear options to the ballot language, lower the signature threshold and allow county commissioners to vote to place the issue on the ballot. My bill doesn't allow elected officials to change the law. It just allows them to put it on the ballot so the citizens of Hillsdale County can decide in a vote on the issue," she said.

Several Hillsdale business owners testified about lost Sunday sales because customers cross county or state lines for spirits. Brett Boyd, owner of Underdog Sliders & Spirits and Sports, told the committee that Sunday NFL crowds and nearby Indiana and Ohio give competitors an edge. "One of our busiest days we anticipated was gonna be Sundays for the NFL ... Customers can very easily go to Indiana or go to Ohio, and we're at a real competitive disadvantage every Sunday," Boyd said. Oaks Tavern owner Adam Day and Kevin Conant of Here's To You Pub and Grub described similar revenue losses and rider traffic that bypass their establishments on Sundays.

Committee members questioned how other counties changed their laws and how the petition thresholds work. Witnesses said the petition requirement is tied to a percentage of votes cast in statewide races and noted historical variations in local rules. Representative Bridal noted the bill would change the petition threshold from 8% to 5% of votes cast for the county's secretary of state race; witnesses described prior attempts that fell short by several hundred signatures.

No committee vote was recorded. Sponsors said the measure is intended to make it administratively easier for citizens to place the issue on a county ballot and to clarify the ballot wording so voters understand the choice.

Lawmakers asked for follow-up on historical petition use and whether other counties used petitions or commission votes to reach similar results.