Liquor Sales, School Taxes and Newt Gingrich

We have just one item on the county ballot this go round -- school taxes. Will Gwinnett County voters choose to continue the 1 percent educational special purpose local option sales tax (E-SPLOST) or will a tax-weary constituency say “Enough”? In past years, the E-SPLOST would probably have been as close to a shoe-in as you could get in an election, but a bad economy, high unemployment and a seemingly widespread mistrust of elected officials means supporters of this measure have a tough row to hoe. I’d hate to be pushing a sales tax this year.

Speaking of the economy, the most popular blog post on Dacula Patch last week was focused on the issue of Sunday sales of alcohol in Dacula. City residents have voted down Sunday sales before, but, as with the E-SPLOST, the outcome may be different this time. Do you think the residents of Dacula are ready to allow Sunday liquor by the drink sales? Will they approve Sunday package sales? Think about it -- if Dacula passes Sunday package sales, residents in our area will be able to purchase beer and wine at the or on Sunday. You won’t be able to do that in the unincorporated parts of the county. That would certainly seem like a good way to boost revenue within the city. As for the liquor by the drink issue, area residents currently can have a mixed drink on Sundays outside the city limits. If this referendum passes, the playing field will be leveled for restaurants within Dacula’s boundaries. It will be interesting to see if the potential for increased revenue prevails over any lingering moral reservations surrounding this issue.

I want to thank Bonnie Kent for allowing me to film and photograph her Hamilton Mill “House of Horror.” Bonnie does an absolutely amazing job transforming her beautiful suburban home into a major holiday attraction. I am fortunate enough to live near Bonnie, so I get to enjoy driving by her house on a regular basis. She does an awesome job at Christmas too!

We have more Republican candidates than you can shake a stick at currently, but voters will start narrowing the field very soon. Will Georgia’s Newt Gingrich rise to the top or will our own Herman Cain win the nomination? Who knows, but this primary season is certainly shaping itself into fine political theater.

This news pleases me immensely. If you haven’t noticed, Dacula Patch runs a pet of the day feature in the hope of helping more of these poor animals find homes. Thanks to all of you who have visited the shelter and adopted an animal. My dog and cat are shelter adoptions and I could not ask for better pets.

Be sure to check in during the week for the latest news and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates throughout the day. Have a great week and thanks for reading Dacula Patch.