Salvador Petilos, the director of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC) presented to the Business, Economic Development and Labor Appropriations Committee. The presentation included where DABC plans to use the funds they are asking to be appropriated this year.
The DABC is split into three main operations:
- Regulatory, which deals with licensing and compliance;
- Education, which runs the Parents Empowered Program; and
- Retail, which is over distribution and sales.
Mr. Petilos reported how much of the funding will be used to build or renovate stores. Currently, the stores in Sugar House and downtown Salt Lake City are overused. They serve a large population, which makes it difficult to run efficiently. An expansion of the downtown Salt Lake City store is essential. In the coming years, Petilos mentioned that it will be difficult to build stores in the downtown Salt Lake area due to its population.
Representative Patrice Arent commented that during the holiday season there are long lines at the stores that can go around block. Mr. Petilos agreed that staffing is major issue within DABC and the agency will use some of the appropriated money for pay increases and to incentivize recruitment and retention. The current retail employee turnover rate is 80% and the DABC is 19 stores behind schedule.
Dr. Wilko, a staff member of the Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Committee explained that if the Committee decides to appropriate funds that are non-lapsing, the DABC could meet their goals more efficiently and solve many of the issues facing the agency. Senator Davis agreed that by having only appropriated lapsing funds over the past few years has hindered the DABC rather than helped.