Utah’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has been embroiled in controversy over inventory management and low morale. But Governor Gary Herbert said Thursday he’s comfortable with the way things are going now.
With DABC’s troubles back in the news after key personnel quit, the governor said the morale complaints had been reviewed by human resources officials. He also defended the new, computerized inventory system for keeping stock moving at the 43 liquor stores the state owns.
“I think the system is working pretty good,” he said at his monthly KUED-Channel 7 news conference, “so I don’t know that it’s broke and needs fixin’.”
Herbert brushed off the idea of privatizing Utah’s liquor stores during. He said the state-owned operation netted more than $137 million last year for education and other programs.
“To privatize it, you would lose all of that profitability, and so that may not be such a good thing,” the governor said. “That’s a pretty big hole you’d have to fill.”
The governor also questioned whether shifting liquor sales to the private sector would violate strong state principles against unhealthy behaviors.
“The concern would be, if we had it privatized, there would be some kind of promotion of alcohol consumption, which would maybe not be desirable,” he said.
Herbert said concerns about DABC are taken seriously and that his own staff was visiting the stores to talk with employees and customers for their assessments.
