Grayson Residents To Vote On Package Store Ordinance

There is likely to be another issue on the ballot in in November even if no more than the incumbent council members qualify to hang onto their seats. on and will definitely be on the ballot, but it also looks as though residents also will get a shot at voting on whether to allow for a package store inside the city limits.

According to City Administrator Laura Paul-Cone, the city is in possession of a qualified petition calling for a referendum on allowing a package store in the city. The petition required 35 percent of the registered voters to call for the referendum.

“As of last election (which is the number it was based on) we had 1,581 registered voters,” Paul-Cone said. “They needed 35 percent, which would have been 553 signatures. We verified 642 signatures.”

The item will be on the Grayson City Council meeting agenda in September. Paul-Cone said a call would be issued to place it on the November ballot for voters to decide if they even want to have a package store. 

“If the package sales is approved by the voters, we will have our attorney create an ordinance allowing for a package store and in that ordinance it will spell out all of the requirements, zoning, etc,” Paul-Cone said. 

Once the ordinance is adopted, an application will be available for anyone to apply to have a package store within in the city.

In the meantime, as far as the municipal election goes, Paul-Cone said as of Tuesday afternoon, only incumbent Mayor Jim Hinkle and incumbent Councilwomen Allison Wilkerson Rooks (Post 2) and Katie Mitchell (Post 4) had qualified. Any city resident interested in running for any of these three seats still has until 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to post the $10 qualifying fee and sign up. None of these are paid positions.