Montgomery County’s Nighttime Economy Task Force is preparing its final report and plans to present its final recommendations to the County Council on October 21. As previously reported on Conduit Street,

The Nighttime Economy Task Force has been studying ways to make the county more competitive as an after-hours destination, is considering proposals to loosen regulations on how and when alcohol can be consumed in the county. The Task Force is also examining noise ordinances and other regulations dealing with food trucks, cafes, and outdoor movies.

As reported in the Gazette:

If restaurants could derive more profit from alcohol sales, they could respond to greater demand for higher quality alcoholic beverages. That’s the opinion of the Nighttime Economy Task Force, which is looking into ways the county can increase nighttime business and social activity, and therefore boost local economies and provide employment in the county.

The task force could recommend that a restaurant’s alcohol sales, now limited by law at 50 percent of profits, be increased to 60 percent, said Henriot St. Gerard, the task force’s vice chair, at the Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board on Monday night.

Other draft recommendations include requesting more police officers to enforce public safety at night, lengthening hours for food trucks, and giving developers incentives to build small performance areas in arts and entertainment districts.