The owner of a downtown pizza restaurant asked the Dawsonville City Council on Nov. 17 to reverse a two‑year revocation of the establishment’s alcohol license, saying the penalty would severely harm the business and its employees.

City Manager Jacob Evans told the council the matter began in April 2025 when the establishment failed to pay the alcohol excise tax for April, May and June. After repeated nonpayment in July, August and September, staff suspended the license for 14 days in October. During that suspension staff reported photographing and documenting sales of alcohol at the establishment; city records show the license was revoked on Oct. 29 for two years in accordance with city ordinance and the business appealed the revocation on Nov. 7.

The owner, who identified herself as Lakshmi Anurada, said she had been out of Atlanta during the months when payments were missed due to a family emergency, that she had hired a manager who failed to coordinate tax payments, and that she fired the manager after learning of the missed payments. "I sincerely don't know that they served alcohol during the, suspension, in the store," Anurada said, and asked the council to reverse the revocation, saying she "assure[s] that" such an incident will not recur and that a two‑year suspension would be a severe hardship for employees and the business.

During council questioning, staff said roughly 10 notices and additional hand-delivered attempts to collect payment were made across the months at issue. City Attorney Kevin Tallent advised the council that it must render a decision on the appeal within seven days; he said the council could communicate the decision to staff and have it reduced to writing rather than necessarily holding another public meeting.

No final vote was recorded during the Nov. 17 meeting. The council may issue a written decision within seven days of the meeting as permitted under city procedures; the transcript records the appeal and the requirement for a prompt decision but does not record the council’s final determination.

Next steps: the council must render and communicate a decision within seven days of the Nov. 17 meeting.