Cash bars may be allowed soon in Flowery Branch.

The City Council is set to take its first vote tonight on changing city law to allow caterers to sell alcoholic beverages at off-premises events, such as weddings and reunions.

When the city consolidated all its alcohol beverage-related ordinances in 2009, cleaning up language and inconsistencies, City Attorney Ron Bennett came across "a rather convoluted, onerous" section about caterers.

"It was not only difficult to negotiate through, the way it was priced - license fee-wise - was rather high," he said. "At the time, we had not had any caterers request to serve in Flowery Branch, save one in the six years I'd been here.

"We decided we would take that (in completing the ordinance cleanup, and) we were going to strip that section out and put it back in this new streamlined version when the time was right."

A request for a catered event prompted the move toward the newest change in law, Bennett said.

The City Council, which is meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall, also will consider adding a provision that allows establishments to hold beer and wine tasting events.

Nonprofit and for-profit organizations can sponsor such events, but they must submit an application 25 days beforehand.

The council also will consider approving a resolution that sets fees for the new activities: $300 for beer, wine and liquor caterers; a $50 event permit; and $50 for beer and wine tastings.

In working up the resolution, Bennett did a quick check with several North Georgia governments, especially Hall County and Gainesville, to see what fees they charged for those permits and activities.

"I just (wanted) to make sure that the numbers we were putting in our resolution were consistent with what other jurisdictions were doing," he said.

City Manager Bill Andrew said the changes could benefit a variety of groups.

"With the hotel we have here, we've been wanting to make sure they could hold events like that," he said, referring to the Hampton Inn & Suites, which is off Holland Dam and Spout Springs roads.

Also, "there's been some talk" about fundraisers at the Hall County Library System's Spout Springs branch, Andrew said.

Adrian Mixson, library system director, said the system "made (the city) aware (it) needed an ordinance when our Friends (of the Hall County Library) decided to do a mystery dinner theater and wanted to serve wine."

Mayor Mike Miller said the alcohol issue will continue to surface as the population grows.

"You're going to have (event organizers) who are going to be asking for these things, so we're trying to be proactive and get something in place," he said.

Stacey Dickson, president of the Lake Lanier Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she's hoping for council's approval.

"This is going to add more flexibility in the kinds of events that can happen in the city and also more opportunity for the small businesses that are caterers all over the county," she said.