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Concord council votes to put social-district question on November ballot
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing and questions about enforcement and public-safety planning, the Concord City Council voted Sept. 8 to place the statutorily worded social-district question on the Nov. ballot and scheduled an October hearing for voter education and implementation planning.
The Concord City Council voted Sept. 8 to place the question “Shall we allow the operation of social districts within the city?” on the Nov. municipal ballot, a move that would allow the city to establish designated areas where patrons may carry labeled drinks from participating liquor-licensees.
City Deputy Solicitor John Comforti explained the new state law and said the ballot language is prescribed by statute: “shall we allow the operation of social districts within the city?” He added that the council would retain authority to identify district boundaries and a maintenance plan and that those elements must be reported to the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. “We would still have to come back to you, to get approval to actually establish the district, and establish the rules,” Comforti said.
The vote followed more than an hour of council questions about the scope and timing of any district, enforcement, and required maintenance plans. City Manager Tom Walsh told the council the Liquor Commission is expected to issue rules in the months after the law passed and that the council will have opportunities to shape boundaries, hours and operating rules: “There will be additional public meetings…we will then coalesce around a preferred concept that will go forward.”
Public-health advocates urged caution. Kate Fry, vice president of advocacy at New Futures, said the nonprofit is not taking a position on ballot placement but urged a narrowly tailored approach focused on community benefits and prevention: “We would strongly encourage this community to establish a temporary district around community special events or festivals and not ongoing permanent districts,” Fry said, adding that maintenance plans should include evaluation metrics for accidents, drunk-driving and other harms.
Several councilors voiced concern that the matter is moving quickly; others said putting the question to voters is appropriate. The council approved placing the question on the Nov. ballot and instructed staff to schedule a follow-up public hearing in October to provide voter education and to begin discussing maintenance-plan requirements if the measure passes.
