anchor Mission Statement
The mission of Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) is to provide licensing, wholesale and retail sales of beverage alcohol products, enforcement, effective education and training programs, while promoting moderation and responsible behavior in all phases of distribution and consumption. The Department diligently promotes, enforces, and obeys all laws and regulations governing beverage alcohol while generating revenue for the benefit of Montgomery County's General Fund. The Department strives to provide its customers with the added benefits inherent in the oversight provided by the Montgomery County Government.
anchor Budget Overview
The total approved FY23 Operating Budget for the Alcohol Beverage Services is $68,265,868, an increase of $1,917,793 or 2.89 percent from the FY22 Approved Budget of $66,348,075. Personnel Costs comprise 57.38 percent of the budget for 334 full-time position(s) and 127 part-time position(s), and a total of 428.80 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 42.62 percent of the FY23 budget.
In FY23, Alcohol Beverage Services will transfer $34.9 million to the General Fund and make $8.9 million in debt service payments on Liquor Control Revenue Bonds for a total contribution of $43.8 million. The above projections and proposed expenditures form the basis for working capital decisions concerning the ABS Enterprise Fund.
The following information is provided to facilitate County Council and public input for final County Executive decisions on the determination of adequate working capital within, and use of resources in, the Liquor Enterprise Fund and net proceeds to be deposited to the General Fund. Consistent with Article 2B, Section 15-207, the County Executive must make resource allocation decisions for the Fund.
In addition, this department's Capital Improvements Program (CIP) requires Current Revenue funding.
County Priority Outcomes
While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:
- A Growing Economy
- A Greener County
- Safe Neighborhoods
- Effective, Sustainable Government
anchorProgram Performance Measures
Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY22 estimates reflect funding based on the FY22 approved budget. The FY23 and FY24 figures are performance targets based on the FY23 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY24.
Program Descriptions
Warehouse Operations
This program involves management of the County's beverage alcohol warehouse and includes the purchase, receipt, and storage of over 35,000 different stock and special order items....
| Program Performance Measures | Actual
FY20 | Actual
FY21 | Estimated
FY22 | Target
FY23 | Target
FY24 |
|---|
| Percent of shipped items returned | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Percent of items shipped on time and intact - stock products - licensees only | 97.9% | 96.1% | 98.0% | | |
| Percent of items shipped on time and intact - special order products - licensees only | 95.9% | 96.7% | 97.0% | | |
| Average licensee satisfaction score from annual survey - Wholesale Operations (scale of 1-5) 1 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | | |
Read More Delivery Operations
This program includes the distribution of distilled spirits, wine, and beer to licensed establishments and County retail stores....
| Program Performance Measures | Actual
FY20 | Actual
FY21 | Estimated
FY22 | Target
FY23 | Target
FY24 |
|---|
| Number of unique licensees affected by a delivery discrepancy (monthly average) - licensees only | 418 | 479 | 450 | 425 | 400 |
| Number of unique licensees affected by a delivery discrepancy of stock items (monthly average) - licensees only | 381 | 441 | 400 | 375 | 350 |
| Number of unique licensees affected by a delivery discrepancy of special order items (monthly average) - licensees only | 179 | 203 | 200 | 175 | 150 |
| Percent of items shipped on time and intact - licensees only | 97.8% | 96.1% | 98.0% | | |
Read More Retail Sales Operations
This program oversees sales of distilled spirits, wine, and beer to retail customers and licensees through the operation of retail stores that are located throughout Montgomery County....
| Program Performance Measures | Actual
FY20 | Actual
FY21 | Estimated
FY22 | Target
FY23 | Target
FY24 |
|---|
| Total retail stores sales | $139,790,523 | $137,680,088 | $139,563,892 | $140,959,531 | $141,664,328 |
| Same store sales year over year | $139,790,523 | $137,680,088 | $139,563,892 | | |
| Average licensee satisfaction score from annual survey - Retail Operations (scale of 1-5) 1 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | | |
Read More Administration
The Administration Program provides comprehensive leadership for the department including strategic planning, policy development and implementation, accountability, maintenance of partnerships with non-governmental service providers, and human resource management. This program also provides all accounting, financial, procurement, and information technology services for the department. Finance and accounting staff perform special analyses,...
| Program Performance Measures | Actual
FY20 | Actual
FY21 | Estimated
FY22 | Target
FY23 | Target
FY24 |
|---|
| Total sales overall | $304,492,379 | $303,901,776 | $303,947,986 | $305,467,725 | $306,995,065 |
| Transfer to General Fund | $26,474,980 | $27,926,172 | $28,000,000 | $31,000,000 | $31,000,000 |
| Gross profit | $95,300,046 | $93,186,736 | $97,109,283 | | |
| Average licensee satisfaction score from annual survey (scale of 1-5) 1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | | |
Read More Licensure, Regulation and Education
This program includes issuance of beverage alcohol licenses; inspecting and investigating licensed facilities to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations; and serving as support staff and providing expert testimony at hearings for issuance, fining, suspension, or revocation of licenses. This program also encompasses community partnerships by defining...
| Program Performance Measures | Actual
FY20 | Actual
FY21 | Estimated
FY22 | Target
FY23 | Target
FY24 |
|---|
| Number of annual alcohol compliance checks to minors (under 21) 1 | 88 | 0 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| Number of licensed business inspections | 333 | 3,707 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| Number of valid licensed businesses registered with ABS | 1,028 | 1,033 | 1,045 | 1,045 | 1,045 |
| Percent of licensees that fail compliance checks (Number of establishments that fail / Number of total compliance checks) | 26.0% | 0.0% | 20.0% | | |
| Rating of licensed businesses satisfied with ALERT training (scale of 1-5) | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.0 | | |
| Rating of licensees satisfied with Licensing Application Process (scale of 1-5 ) | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.0 | | |
Read More Marketing
This program leads the marketing efforts for the department, including design and branding, advertising, internal and external communications, events, and promotions....
Read More