By Seth Schmidt
The future of Tracy Municipal Liquor Store is under review.
The City of Tracy’s liquor store committee (Mayor Steve Ferrazzano, councilman Dave Tiegs, Rosemary Martin, and Manager Sandy Lau) plan a Wednesday, Jan. 3, meeting at 6 p.m. The City Hall gathering is open to the public.
The committee hopes to develop a recommendation on liquor store operations for the entire council to consider on Jan. 8.
In November, Ferrazzano told the city council that he sees just two options for the city’s off-sale liquor store. 1) Move the municipal operation to a new location on Hwy. 14 in hopes that better visibility and traffic will increase sales and profits; 2) End city involvement with a retail liquor store, and instead sell a liquor license to a private party.
Operating losses are a major reason changes are being contemplated in the city’s liquor store. Interim City Administrator Shane Daniels reports that through the end of October, the Tracy liquor store had posted year-to-date operating losses of about $39,000. The liquor store, which is set up as a city enterprise fund, is supposed to generate profits for the city, which in turn can be used to reduce the property tax levy for the benefit of city residents. City liquor store operations in 2016 lost about $40,000.
For more on this article, see this week’s Headlight-Herald.