Now that Jasper voters passed Sunday sales of Alcohol by the package and distilled spirits in last week’s election, city council is swiftly adjusting city ordinance to allow for the change.In the Jasper City Council meeting on August 6th, the council readily approved the first reading of an amendment of its alcohol ordinance, an amendment that changes the city’s ordinance to allow for the Sunday sales of alcohol by the package and distilled spirits in the city limits of Jasper. As City Clerk and Finance Director Tacie Williams read the new alcohol ordinance for the first time on Monday, she announced that the new ordinance was amended not only to read that the Sunday sale of alcohol by the drink in Jasper be allowed between the hours of 12:30 p.m. and 12:00 midnight of Sunday, but also by the package.

As a rule of thumb, any type of city ordiance the council decides to approved, the council decides to read the ordinance for a second time before accepting the approval. This is to allow for the ordinance to be proofread, and also means that though the new alcohol ordinance was approved for a first time, it won’t be official until the second reading. However, Williams told FYN that this will probably take place at the next city council meeting, and following the second reading, Sunday package sales will be effective immediately.

Williams went on to say that the ordinance will now include an amendment that will also allow for any business owners to purchase a one-time alcohol license that allows for both the sale of alcohol as a whole and for the sale of alcohol on Sundays. Also, Williams said that since the council had already issued Sunday sales permits for 2012 beforehand, that this change will only be effective for business owners applying for alcohol licenses in 2013. This means anyone else that already holds an alcohol license in 2013 will automatically be allowed to sell alcohol on Sundays. It will just be the business owner’s decision of whether or not to sell the alcohol on Sundays in their store, according to Williams.

Following the approval of the first reading of the new alcohol ordinance, the council then decided to approve a bid of materials to Southern Pipe and Supply in order to begin the city’s scheduled water line projects on Camp Rd and Hwy 515.

In May, the council approved a GEFA resolution in order to obtain a loan for $315,000 to fund the materials for two water line projects that the city chose to buy the materials for and construct itself. Before the city was able to begin the project, however, the city was required by state guidelines to advertise for the project for four weeks before opening the project to the public for bids on materials.

Williams informed the council that on Friday afternoon, August 3rd, the bid had been opened, and then afterwards both projects had been awarded to Southern Pipe and Supply for a total of $229,099.80. When asked when the project will start, Williams told FYN that she expected the project to start in the next few weeks.

Also during the meeting, the city council approved the request of a regulated business license for business owner Scott Langley. Langley, the owner of Studio X Tattoo and Body Piercing in Jasper, told FYN that the request for the approval was for a new business of his that will be called American Ink and Iron. The new tattoo parlor will be located next to Hwy 515 in Jasper at Suite 105 next to Rocco’s Pub. Langley says that he expects the new tattoo parlor to be open in two to three weeks and a ribbon cutting from by the Pickens County Chamber of Commerce is planned.

Lastly, the Jasper City Council also tabled a planned presentation of the city’s 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report during the meeting. Williams told FYN that the presentation will include the city’s 2012 audit information that was submitted prior to July 30th. When asked why the presentation was tabled, Williams told FYN that since the city’s auditors did not attend the meeting the report could not formally be presented.