Troy council discusses open forum on Sunday sales referendum
Published 3:00 am Wednesday, August 9, 2017
The Troy City Council had a short agenda Tuesday afternoon, but the council did discuss the upcoming referendum on Sunday alcohol sales and requests by residents for more information.
District 4 councilwoman Stephanie Baker relayed a question from one of her constituents about whether the council might hold an open meeting regarding Sunday sales and how they could benefit economic development.
Mayor Jason Reeves said data regarding economic development in other cities that decided on Sunday sales would likely be only anecdotal and suggested instead that perhaps the Chamber of Commerce could hold a meeting similar to the ones they hold for other elections.
Council president Marcus Paramore said Sunday sales aren’t guaranteed to bring in business, but opens an extra opportunity to recruit businesses to the area.
Paramore said the referendum itself is a straightforward poll question that is mostly self-explanatory.
The referendum will be held for Troy residents Tuesday. October 10. The sole question on the ballot will be “Do you favor the adoption of ACT No. 2017-309, of the Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature authorizing the sale of alcoholic beverages after 12:00 p.m. on Sundays in the City of Troy?”
Absentee voting for the election opened Tuesday.
The council unanimously approved a resolution supporting a project to construct a new portion of McKinley Drive to three lanes and to improve the intersection of McKinley and George Wallace Drive.
The $2.8 project is the third phase of the Alabama Department of Transportation’s (ALDOT) Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (ATRIP).
ALDOT will fund $1.6 million of the project and Troy University will fund $1 million, leaving the city to pay $135,000.
The resolution passed Tuesday is a reiteration of a resolution the council passed at its last meeting with the only difference being that this version is ALDOT’s official wording.
The council also approved for a Class 40 on and off premise beer license transfer from Jake Messenger to Mike Long at Momma Goldberg’s Deli. Long recently bought the restaurant from Messenger and needed to have the license transferred.
Reeves said the city is working on several projects that he cannot discuss at this time, but hopes to be able to speak more openly about them at the next council meeting.
The Troy City Council will meet again Tuesday, August 22. The executive committee will meet at 4 p.m. upstairs in City Hall and will move to the Council Chambers for the regular meeting at 5 p.m.