July Will Decide Sunday Sales

Jasper City Council passed a Sunday Alcohol Sales resolution at its April Meeting Monday night.The resolution, however, was not to allow the alcohol sales on Sunday, but to let Jasper voters decide whether they would agree to have alcohol sales on Sunday. Last year Governor Nathan Deal allowed local governments to decide, via voters, if they would allow their cities and counties to permit alcohol sales on Sunday. Since this time, counties across the state have been faced with this issue. Near-by counties, like Cherokee, have agreed, via the ballot, to Sunday sales.

The topic came up last month at Jasper’s city council meeting. Then, Mayor John Weaver introduced the topic, explaining he was approached by the administration at the Kroger Grocery Store in Jasper, which requested to be placed on the March agenda to address this issue and make a case for approval of the measure. However, a representative from the store was unable to attend last month’s meeting to speak. The first motion for a referendum was passed by the council four to one, Council Member John Foust voting against.

During this month’s meeting, the mayor called for a second vote on the referendum. Here, the topic was more fleshed out than at last month’s meeting, Since March, in preparation for council’s approval of the measure the city drafted the referendum. After explaining the topic, the mayor read the resolution and the referendum, as it would appear on the ballot.

“Shall the government authority of the City of Jasper of Jasper, Georgia be authorized to permit and regulate the package sale by retailers of malt beverage, wine, and distilled spirits on Sunday between the hours of 12:30 P.M. and 11:30 P.M: Yes or No?”

In March, the mayor and council had some questions regarding the time frame of the referendum, specifically whether or not the referendum would be placed on the July ballot, during the Primary Election. Then, Mayor Weaver seemed skeptical about it being placed on the July ballot, due to the two required public hearings and approval by the state. City Clerk and Finance Officer Tacie Williams, who has worked with the resolution since March, confirmed during the April meeting that the referendum will be on the July ballot, if approved.

Council approved the resolution to place on the referendum in a four to one vote, John Foust voting against the measure. FYN attempted to contact Mr. Foust yesterday for a response to his vote, but as of the writing of this article he has not responded.

“My position has always been,”

the mayor said in March,

“if …the people who live in the city make the determination whether they want it or not, they show up at the voting booth and decide yes or no.”