Alcohol Sales on Sundays and at Outdoor Events Tackled by City Council

Set Millage Rate:  Working against the clock to get the city’s millage rate over to the county by a 5:00 p.m. deadline, the council voted 4-0 to set the rate at 2.16 mills.  

Sunday Sales of Alcohol by the Package: City Attorney Lee Thompson, Jr. said according to the city’s code to , the council must first adopt an ordinance in order to call for a referendum to then ratify the ordinance. Thompson provided the council with a drafted ordinance.

Thompson said this was a simple change in the ordinance that asks that Sunday sales be allowed in the same section that allows for the hours on any other day of the week that alcohol is sold. The timeline for getting the vote on the November ballot was proposed by Thompson.

If the council would like to do a 1st Read of the ordinance for the public, it could be approved at the council’s August 1st meeting. Due to this being a Special Election, the city must submit a request to hold this election to the Department of Justice sixty days before the election takes place.

The city must have DOJ approval before October to accommodate early voting. Early voting occurs three weeks before the Special Election, said Thompson.

Councilwoman Katie Hart Smith said she has heard overwhelmingly that people want the right to vote on this item. She said she conducted a survey on Facebook.

The City Clerk Bob Baroni said the city, at the end of August, must run “a legal ad” in a newspaper alerting the public that this election will be held. And then once qualifying, to hold the election, is complete the city must then create the ballots.   

Councilman Tony Powell said he will vote against advancing this item because some of the business people in the industry voiced dismay over Sunday staffing in order to compete. He said this item has a tendency to divide a community over some religious issues. Self creating from the city, he said is not the way to do this (get it on a ballot).

“Whether I am for it or against it, it is the people’s decision,” said Councilwoman Smith. “From those that I asked, they said they do not want government dictating what we can and cannot do; we would like to make that choice. We are allowing their voice to be heard in an election.”

The motion to adopt the ordinance for 1st Read passed 3-1, with Powell casting a vote against.

Alcohol Sales for Outside Events:  Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson asked City Attorney Thompson to look at the Alcohol Ordinance that allows outdoor alcohol sales. Mr. Thompson said the Alcohol Ordinance allows for outdoor alcohol selling by vendors that have a liquor license. The ordinance would be changed to allow others to sell alcohol at outdoor events, specifically Rock-n-Ribs Fest. City staff has the revised Alcohol Ordinance to review.

Councilman Powell asked that the Bottle Shop Ordinance be changed to allow wine and beer tastings. Currently it just allows for wine tastings. Thompson said if this change is made it will be opening up the selling of beer to others not affiliated with a restaurant.  He said the state has very specific regulations regarding wine tastings, but he said there are no provisions for beer tastings.

Powell said he will arrange a meeting with owner to address this issue.

Councilman Peter Martin said the city should visit the process of issuing a liquor license. He said business owners are required to invest capitol to get operational before they are granted a liquor license. If they are denied a license then their investment might not be as lucrative.  

The council asked that the revised Alcohol Ordinance be placed on the August meeting agenda as 1st Read. In the July 28th Work Session (continuation) the council will hear additional revisions, if necessary.