Members of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board delayed voting on another bailment fee hike at their Thursday meeting.
The board passed a fee increase from 72 cents to $1 per case in October 2025. A bailment fee is paid by liquor producers to the ABC Board when their products are held in an ABC warehouse.
The ABC Board is currently constructing a new, larger central warehouse and office facility.
ABC Board administrator Curtis Stewart originally proposed, in 2025, increasing the fee over three years to $1 in 2026, $1.25 in 2027, and $1.50 in 2028. However, the proposal was pared down to just one increase to $1.
Another proposed increase was scheduled to be considered on Thursday, but the ABC Board voted to carry the item over until a later date.
“I have talked with a number of industry reps and a number of legislators…what I want to do is I want to gather some more information and take a look at this a little further so I’m going to ask the board to just carry this over again, and we’ll bring it back up at a later date,” Stewart said at the meeting.
State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) told 1819 News on Wednesday he still believes the ABC Board needs to be privatized.
“I strongly believe we need to privatize the retail operations and eventually the wholesale operations. We allow beer wholesalers all around the state, wine wholesalers. What’s the problem with liquor like other states do it? They all allow the independent wholesale middle men to distribute the products in a responsible manner and hold them accountable,” Orr said. “We need the enforcement of ABC; I’m not questioning that. We need that to be continued and be strong. When it comes to the archaic problem our state has, we need a total do-over.”
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