Image via Vintage Seattle.

Charla Neuman, the spokeswoman for a liquor-privatization initiative that will be announced within the next few days, says a competing initiative proposal wouldn't bring in enough revenue to pay for state liquor enforcement and administration, and could end up costing the state money.

That proposal, which we've covered here and here, would require stores that want to sell liquor to pay an annual license fee of $1,000, plus a one-time application fee of $1,000. Liquor distributors would pay an annual fee of $2,000, plus a $2,000 one-time application fee. Those fees, on top of a number of smaller miscellaneous fees for things like non-profit events, motels, hotels, appear to be the only revenue sources that would be created by the initiative. "On the face of it, it looks like their [initiative] might actually cost the state money," Neuman says. "I see no changes in how they would sell liquor that would actually make the state money."

Sharon Gilpin, a consultant working for the competing privatization measure, has not returned a call for comment.

Neuman says her group, represented by consultant Strategies 360, plans to file its competing initiative "in the next couple of days." Neuman says her group's initiative would "privatize state liquor sales, or at least reform them, but do it responsibly and making sure that it’s revenue positive for the state," with four different sources of revenue.