For more than seven decades, new consumption liquor licenses in New Jersey have been based on a town’s population. Like many things in life, there are exceptions to the rule. One of those exceptions for liquor licenses is for hotels or motels with more than 100 rooms.

The Ship Bottom Borough Council took the first step in putting that exception into play last month when it introduced an ordinance creating a liquor license class for hotels/motels and setting the annual fee at $2,500 for that…