Liquor Control Agency Serving Potomac Scores Awards

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD —The Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control received four awards this month from the National Association of Counties for the agency's efforts to promote safety, the economy and technology through several programs, including a lottery for the sale of rare bourbons.

DLC officials said there's a growing interest in limited quantity and rare bourbons, so the department responded with the creation of an automated lottery system in 2016. About 19,000 people have sign up so far for the lottery, according to a press release issued by DLC this month. The system, along with the implementation of Formstack, an alcohol licenses management software, earned the county recognition in the association's Information Technology category.

The county's pre-licensing program allows hair salons, performing arts venues and art galleries to obtain licenses. The county received recognition for this in the Economic Development category. In Maryland, Montgomery County is second only to the City of Baltimore in the number of alcohol licenses issued, according to the department.

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The county answered the call to decrease impaired driving among people ages 21-34 through its 2017 "I Take it Personally" campaign. The campaign included advertisements that appeared in bus shelters, on buses and on social media, according to the release. The program includes offer codes for reduced Lyft and Uber fares. The initiative received the association's public safety award and is a collaboration of DLC, the county's public information office and the police department.
Subscribe"These nationally-recognized programs are examples of how employees at the DLC are working every day to enhance and improve services for Montgomery County residents," said Robert Dorfman, director of the DLC. The department is responsible for licensure, regulation, education and enforcement related to the sale of alcohol and tobacco in the county.
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