Dayton city commission members and officials say the agreement is a creative way to try to hold these stores accountable and improve conditions that have long frustrated police and some community members.
“We’ll see if it works, and if it doesn’t, we’ll do what we can to change it,” said Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph. “But I think it has a shot at working.”
But some Dayton residents said the city is making a mistake to give up its fight to stop alcohol sales at these stores.
“I know there’s an agreement, but I feel we were left out of the conversation,” said Victoria McNeal, president of the Riverdale Neighborhood Association. “I don’t think they actually need to sell alcohol — they are still making a lot of money.”
Starting years ago, the city on multiple occasions objected to liquor permit requests submitted by popular dollar store chains, including Dollar General and Family Dollar.
City leaders and officials said some stores have problems with trash and cleanliness, and the businesses do not take proper steps to ensure the safety and security of their properties.
Dayton police have responded to a significant number of calls at some Dollar General stores in the city for shoplifting, robberies and some criminal activities outside the stores, like prostitution and drug sales.
In March 2021, police arrested a suspect who used a firearm to rob the Dollar General at 445 Salem Avenue in northwest Dayton.
The man, who was later sentenced to 100 months in prison, admitted to robbing the same Dollar General four other times the previous month.
This week, the Dayton City Commission had the first reading of a resolution that if approved would withdraw the city’s objections to liquor permit requests for Dollar Generals at 445 Salem Ave., 2312 N. Main St., 2228 N. Gettysburg Ave., 1819 W. Third St., 2821 Linden Ave. and 3119 E. Third St.
Five of the six stores sell alcohol, mainly beer, and several also sell hard seltzer products or wine. The East Third Street store currently does not sell alcohol.
Dayton proposes to rescind its liquor permit renewal objections if Dollar General enters into a cooperation agreement that says the company will ensure the exterior of its properties are kept free from trash, litter, debris and graffiti.
The company also would have to provide yearly training to its employees in the city about proper property maintenance, theft and robbery prevention, reporting criminal activities and liquor-law compliance.
Some measures Dollar General will agree to take to improve its properties are not things the city could otherwise force the company to do, said Adam Laugle, Dayton assistant city attorney.
The agreement says Dollar General will upgrade its security cameras inside and outside some of the stores and will take steps to ensure Dayton police get video from surveillance cameras when requested.
Security cameras inside some stores are of such low quality that crime video footage is useless to police and authorities when they try to identify suspects and bring them to justice, Laugle said. Some stores had no exterior cameras, meaning authorities had no way to identify getaway vehicles or where suspects headed after fleeing outside.
Dollar General also will agree to remove advertisements from store windows that prevent people from being able to see in and out, which should help with safety, Laugle said.
Dollar General also would agree to pay liquidated damages of $250 per day for every violation of the terms of the cooperation agreement. The stores would have 15 days after receiving a notice of violation to remedy the issues before financial penalties are imposed.
Dollar General officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Dayton Daily News.
Lynn Lamance, who lives in the Fairview neighborhood, said Dollar General stores on Salem Avenue and North Main Street for years have been understaffed, “trashy” and had supplies piled up in the store that looked like fire hazards.
“Their grocery carts are commonly (found) through the neighborhoods,” she said.
Other residents said the city should do everything it can to stop alcohol sales at multiple local Dollar General locations.
Jule Rastikis, president of the Salem Avenue Business Association, said the Dollar General on Salem Avenue in the past was not very cooperative and did not seem interested in being a partner with the local business community.
“I really can’t speak to (the cooperation agreement) because I don’t know what’s in it,” he said. “Historically, they have not been a good community partner.”
Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild said he said he hopes that will change.
“We need businesses to invest in our neighborhoods, and hopefully this will help encourage them to be better partners,” he said.
Some community members have been very supportive of Dollar General and other discount stores in their neighborhoods. They say they would have nowhere to shop for basic essentials, like some food products, if these stores did not exist.
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