News

October 24, 2009

Liquor license cash set for area towns

Money generated by license fees helps municipalities cover law enforcement costs.

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
Andrew M. Seder on Facebook   |   @TLAndrewSeder on Twitter

When times are tough, some turn to alcohol. And when budgets are tight, municipalities are thankful for those establishments that serve liquor.

Thanks to liquor license fees collected by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board dozens of boroughs, townships and cities across the state are a few dollars richer today. Fees are collected whenever a liquor license application, renewal or validation is approved, according to Patrick J. “P.J.” Stapleton III, chairman of the Liquor Control Board.

The money is distributed to the municipality in which the license is located to help defray the cost of local law enforcement. The Liquor Control Board makes distributions twice a year.

The state announced it has distributed more than $2.3 million from fees collected during the first half of 2009. Of that, $120,300 is coming to municipalities in Luzerne County.

“License fees are based on the type of license and the population of the municipality in which it is located,” said Jerry W. Waters Sr., director of the Liquor Control Board’s Bureau of Regulatory Affairs.

The bureau oversees the regulation of almost 20,000 liquor licensees and permittees statewide. Licensees and permittees are required by the state Liquor Code to renew or validate their licenses annually.

The largest revenue recipient in Luzerne County is Wilkes-Barre, which took in $20,800.

Greg Barrouk, a special assistant to Mayor Thomas Leighton, said the money is placed in the general fund and used in a variety of ways.

Hazleton was the only other municipality receiving more than $6,100. It will get $12,950. In total, 63 municipalities in the county received at least $50. There are a total of 814 licensed active establishments in the county, 117 of them in Wilkes-Barre.

The money dispersed is comparable to the amount the state collected and distributed the first and second halves of 2008, $2.3 million and $2.2 million respectively.

Nanticoke is getting $5,250 in this round of disbursements. Mayor John Bushko said the money goes into the general fund. While it might not sound like a lot, “every cent helps,” he said.

Money’s on the way

Municipality

Amount Received

Cities

Hazleton

$12,950

Nanticoke

$5,250

Pittston

$2,900

Wilkes-Barre

$20,800

Boroughs

Ashley

$1,200

Avoca

$1,350

Conyngham

$400

Dallas

$1,900

Dupont

$1,250

Duryea

$1,300

Edwardsville

$2,600

Exeter

$3,200

Forty Fort

$400

Freeland

$1,850

Harveys Lake

$1,800

Hughestown

$600

Kingston

$5,700

Larksville

$1,400

Luzerne

$2,200

Nescopeck

$250

Nuangola

$150

Plymouth

$2,400

Pringle

$450

Shickshinny

$150

Sugar Notch

$150

Swoyersville

$2,250

West Hazleton

$2,350

West Pittston

$800

West Wyoming

$400

White Haven

$650

Wyoming

$1,800

Yatesville

$150

Townships

Bear Creek

$1,600

Black Creek

$600

Butler

$1,800

Conyngham

$100

Dallas

$1,600

Dennison

$300

Dorrance

$800

Exeter

$600

Fairmount

$300

Fairview

$1,400

Foster

$500

Franklin

$200

Hanover

$4,750

Hazle

$2,550

Hunlock

$400

Huntington

$800

Jackson

$200

Jenkins

$1,500

Kingston

$1,000

Lake

$200

Lehman

$600

Newport

$1,650

Pittston

$1,450

Plains

$6,100

Plymouth

$600

Rice

$250

Slocum

$50

Sugarloaf

$1,200

Union

$600

Wilkes-Barre

$5,200

Wright

$400

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