Baltimore County Council members are formally signaling their opposition to a state bill that would allow the sale of beer and wine at grocery stores.

At a workshop meeting Tuesday afternoon, Republican Councilmember David Marks introduced Resolution 4-25, which requests that the Maryland General Assembly “block legislative actions that would allow for beer or wine sale at grocery stores.”

“I did see one report that the governor was no longer pursuing this, but my understanding is the legislation is still active. So this will put us on record,” Marks said, noting that changing the rules would likely put family-owned alcohol retailers out of business.

Marks was referring to Gov. Wes Moore’s recent shift on the issue. After initially backing the proposal to change the state’s “antiquated” liquor laws, Moore said last week that he would not actively push for new legislation on the matter given opposition from residents and small businesses.

Marks’ colleagues shared his opposition to any legislative changes made by the state.

“I think, in general, competition in capitalism is good. However, when you look at the landscape of beer and wine sales in Baltimore County … there are plenty of choices to go buy beer, wine and spirits,” said Republican Councilman Todd Crandell.

“I am very concerned about the small businesses that would be affected by this,” said Democratic Councilman Julian Jones Jr.

Residents who joined Tuesday’s meeting virtually, such as small-business owner George Fotis, were also opposed to changing the law. Fotis worried that state action could upset the “balance” of responsible alcohol sales while supporting small businesses.

“Changing this system to allow grocery stores to sell beer and wine would destabilize this balance, devalue the significant investments we’ve made, and hurt local economies,” said Fotis, the owner of Drug City Pharmacy in Dundalk.

Maryland is one of few states where buying beer, wine or spirits outside designated liquor or package stores is restricted. However, about 30 grocery stores statewide do sell alcohol because their licenses were grandfathered into the 1978 law.

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