FARMINGTON — Selectmen on Tuesday evening, Aug. 27, voted to send a letter to the state requesting a fifth liquor license be allotted to Farmington.

Zachary Sclar with Food City requested the additional license. Food City operates as an employee stock ownership plan which allows employees to directly benefit from profits and claim shared ownership of their place of employment, according to information he provided. “New legislation allows the town to recommend this action,” it noted. “We feel it is warranted for many reasons including but not limited to the following:

1. Seasonality that brings more people to Farmington.
2. Convenience to the public.
3. Increase exposure to locally owned businesses.”

Sclar emphasized at the meeting he was not asking for a license for Food City that night, would be applying for it should the state grant the extra license.

“We are very excited to go after that license, but that doesn’t mean we are going to get the license,” he said. “It is going to be very hard to get that license. There are a lot of folks that are going to want that license and the state might say, “no, we disagree” and that is fine. All we are asking you to do is write a letter to the state in support of them looking at a fifth liquor license.”

Topsham and Scarborough have done that this year, Sclar stated.

Chair Joshua Bell asked if there was data for Farmington showing the number of sales, might they change just by having another license.

“I absolutely think so,” Sclar replied. “It is going to help us if we were fortunate enough to get it. It would help us for our longevity in the downtown.”

Food City is a key component of the downtown, Sclar noted. He asked why there is no limit on beer and wine licenses but is for liquor.

Demographics would support a fifth license, Sclar felt. Farmington pulls people from around the area, is the gateway to Saddleback and Sugarloaf, he noted. “I think it would be fantastic to have a location in the downtown,” he stated.”

When asked, Bell said Big Apple, Hannaford, Ron’s Market and Walgreens have liquor licenses in Farmington.

Selectman Dennis O’Neil asked if other organizations would apply for the new license.

“Yes,” Sclar replied. “I would like to think that I would have a good shot at it. We have no guarantees. Any of our competitors could have asked for the same thing and they would not be ahead in the race and we are not going to be ahead in the race.”

If the selectmen recommended another license, Sclar felt the state would allow it. Liquor sales in a grocery store on Main Street could help solidify Main Street, everything would be done to obtain the license although it might go to someone else, he noted.

For every 7,500 residents a town had been eligible for four licenses, it went up to six licenses for 10,000 residents but those requirements have been removed, it was explained.

The state wants to sell more liquor responsibly, bring in more taxpayer dollars, Sclar stated.

“This has been a discussion for quite a few years,” Selectman Matthew Smith said. “I am glad you are finally bringing it to the front. I think it is a no brainer for us.”

By consensus it was agreed all members of the board and Town Manager Erica LaCroix would sign the letter supporting a fifth liquor license in Farmington.

“One thing the state needs to look into is when a bigger corporation moves into a community, and they have been known to sell liquor licenses, that they don’t automatically give away a license,” Bell said. “That is totally unfair to the small businesses in that community because once that small business goes away and they only set up for four, it eliminates from another small business being able to get that liquor license. I think that is a disservice to all small businesses.”