OLCC spent lavishly after big liquor bet went wrong

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon Foundation,

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission informed legislators that the agency wildly overestimated its revenues and wildly under-estimated the costs for its exorbitant new warehouse and headquarters facility.

Previously, OLCC projected that liquor sales would grow about 9.5% every year for the foreseeable future, according to the Oregonian. This is even though the agency typically sees only 5% sales growth year-over-year. And, this past year, there was almost no growth in sales.

To make matters worse, the agency reported that they were blowing through their budget on the OLCC’s and are now 15% higher than initially estimated.

This is what happens when the government gets into the liquor business and has no accountability to the voters: Overpriced booze, promises of big bucks for legislators and local governments, and massive spending on vanity projects.