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With Metro Council vote, curbside alcohol sales could become permanent

Posted at 7:02 AM, Nov 05, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-05 09:24:38-05

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Curbside alcohol sales could soon become permanent in Music City. Thursday night, Metro Council could vote to allow businesses to apply for a permit to keep the sales going after Tennessee's State of Emergency ends.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, state officials put several rules in place to help struggling neighborhood businesses. One includes allowing them to have curbside pickup and delivery of alcohol, along with food orders.

Last month, the Metro Nashville Beer Board extended this rule until the end of November, but today, Metro Council will vote whether to make it permanent by allowing businesses to apply for a permit.

However, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) member Phaedra Marriott-Olson thinks the council should hit the brakes on the plan. She says board members should take the compliance sweep conducted by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission into consideration.

During the sweep in July, they found that out of 177 establishments checked, 60 of them sold alcohol to minors – a 39% failure rate.

"As a victim, I can tell you I would feel more comfortable with these laws becoming permanent once we had good compliance and policies available,” Marriott-Olsen told NewsChannel 5 last week.

The council will meet tonight at 6:30 p.m.