Ware town meeting rejects banning ‘nips’ liquor bottle sales

WARE – Town Meeting on Monday rejected a citizens petition seeking ban on "nips" liquor bottle sales in this community of 10,060.

A Select Board member said the small bottles represent 23% of sales at package stores and that a ban would hurt local businesses.

Ware Town Manager Stuart Beckley recommended against the article. The Select Board voted 4-1 against its passage. Those opposed were the chair, Caitlin M. McCarthy, and members Joshua A. Kusnierz, Keith J. Kruckas and Nancy J. Talbot.

McCarthy said enacting the ban would impact "25% percent of sales [that] local businesses would be missing out on. The state is working on some kind of refund. I don't want to see businesses fail."

Board member John J. Cascio, who favored the bottle ban, said, "We’re trying to clean Ware up. Unfortunately the ‘nips’ are all over the place."

Dan Bruso, owner of Bruso's Liquors at 144 Main St., acknowledged that there are littering issues from the failure to properly dispose of the bottles. But he said a better solution would be for the state to allow a 5-cent return on them, to relieve the trash problem.

He also said that if littering is the concern, trash strewn across town from a McDonald's restaurant and a Dunkin Donuts store should be of greater concern than small liquor bottles.

"We’re the only ones being asked to suffer," Bruso said.

Although Ware uses an electronic vote tabulation system at town meeting, the apparatus malfunctioned during Monday's meeting and was unable to produce an actual vote count on the proposed "nips" ban.

Town Meeting Moderator Kathleen Coulombe said she was able to view a graphical representation of the vote, showing the article was defeated "by a majority."

Other articles

In another matter, Town Meeting approved a fiscal 2024 operating budget for Ware totaling $35.6 million, a 7% increase.

The body voted against a citizens petition to form a municipal redevelopment authority that would have power to seize industrial, commercial and residential property by eminent domain – "with the goals of revitalizing" and "encouraging new growth" in Ware, Article 21 said.

Many who spoke in opposition said they are uncomfortable with government having authority to seize their land via eminent domain.

Town meeting approved a zoning amendment creating a Battery Storage Facility zone, and a "Right to Farm" bylaw.

The battery bylaw was backed by the Planning Board. It defines "battery energy storage system" as "One or more devices, assembled together, capable of storing energy in order to supply electrical energy at a future time, not to include a stand-alone 12-volt car battery or an electric motor vehicle."

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