Duchesne COG discusses aligning local alcohol-sale hours with neighboring counties to recapture revenue

Members of the Duchesne County Council of Governments discussed drafting a county ordinance to align retail alcohol sale hours with neighboring jurisdictions after hearing complaints that residents sometimes buy alcohol outside the county.

Speaker 3 (staff member) summarized the recurring issue: county residents can often buy alcohol earlier in neighboring Uinta County than in Duchesne County, and that difference has prompted negative feedback over time. The presenter said the county’s moratorium on alcohol sales between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. is a state-level restriction and that the ordinance under discussion would adjust local opening hours to be uniform across cities and towns.

On revenue, the presenter said aligning sale times could prevent lost sales to nearby jurisdictions: “If they wanna buy some alcohol to go fishing or on a boat or trip or whatever for camping, we're missing out on the revenue and they will buy it somewhere else knowing that.” The presenter said the sheriff’s office had reviewed the idea and reported no clear law-enforcement problem tied to earlier retail sales.

Members discussed the practical benefit of uniform hours across municipalities and towns as an enforcement convenience. The presenter said staff will circulate a cleaned-up draft of the ordinance to members for full discussion; no vote was recorded at the meeting.

What was cited in the meeting

— State moratorium on alcohol sales between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. was referenced as a separate restriction that would remain in effect. The draft ordinance under discussion would address local opening times outside that moratorium.

Next steps

Staff will circulate the revised draft ordinance to member municipalities and special service districts for review and plan a fuller discussion at a future meeting.