Concord voters will evaluate two questions on their ballots this November: whether the city should allow limited alcohol consumption in some public areas, or “social districts,” and whether the city should uphold voters’ previous rejections of Keno gaming.
Lawmakers introduced social districts this legislative session, allowing cities and towns to set aside limited outdoor areas where drinks bought from local restaurants can be enjoyed. Each municipality would have to opt-in to create social districts, first with ballot question set before voters and then with regulations created by local officials that dictate where, when and how these ‘sip and stroll’ areas will exist.
With some apprehension, Concord city councilors took the first step towards opting in to social districts Monday night, agreeing to let voters have a say over whether the city will embrace these areas.
Residents who wrote in to the council weren’t sold on the idea.
Ron Rayner argued that Concord should wait: Some restaurants already have outdoor seating and expanding such a system could burden the police department, he said. Ray Pinard suggested that the city should not “be promoting the use of alcohol in public areas.”
“I understand why it might be nice to get a beer garden or something of that nature,” said Jasmine Esser Lacerte. But “our police are already busy dealing with those who are illegally drunk in public.”
While Matt Hoban said he personally opposes social districts, he still agreed with putting the question on the ballot. It could be a good way to drive voter participation, he said, and Lacerte came to a similar conclusion.
A few councilors thought Concord should sit tight and “let other towns be the guinea pig.”
“I do feel like this is rushed,” said Stacey Brown, who represents West Concord. “There’s no harm in waiting.”
Her peers disagreed, saying they trusted the voters’ judgment and that there would be plenty of time to ease into the rollout.
“Step one is does the community want it or not?” said Fred Keach, a citywide councilor. “If they do, then we can take our time crafting the rules and coming up with a strict approach to it.”
Come November, a ‘yes’ majority would give City Hall the permission to set up social districts; it would not automatically allow public drinking carte blanche.
The state liquor commission will put out guidance on the implementation of social districts, and the city council is responsible for deciding the boundaries of these areas and when and how they would operate.
Before the question “Shall we allow the operation of social districts within the city?” appears on the ballot, there will be an informational public hearing and discussion at the city council’s October meeting.
Keno
Another new state law would require Concord to opt out of a state gaming program that funds both public and private state educational initiatives.
Keno, a gambling game mimicking a lottery or bingo, was first rolled out in New Hampshire in 2017. In the game, the Keno player chooses a series of numbers between one and eighty. The player gets their winnings based on how much they bet and how many matches they obtained between their chosen numbers and a randomly generated set of numbers.
Since then, towns and cities have had to vote to allow the program. Concord voters said “no, thank you” to Keno in two referenda in 2017 and 2019.
The new state law will put the keno question to them once again.
Unless Concord voters choose to opt out of Keno, the game will be automatically permitted under the new system signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Unlike with social districts, a ‘yes’ vote on the Keno question would reinforce Concord’s rejection of the game.
In other words, a ‘yes’ majority would prevent Keno from coming to Concord; a ‘no’ majority would invite its arrival.
Similarly, councilors felt the voters should get their say and decided to put a Keno opt-out question on November ballots.
As part of the state lottery system, Keno profits go into the state’s Education Trust Fund.
That money pool goes towards a range of state funding for education, from per-pupil funding in public schools and special education support to the building aid program, which was cut this year, and the school voucher program, which lawmakers expanded this year by removing income restrictions.
State lottery revenue has steadily climbed over recent years. Whether or not a town or city participates in Keno or other optional lottery programs does not affect the amount of education funding its local schools receive from the state.
