Sunday alcohol sales could begin Dec. 3 in Troy.

Councilmembers held the first reading Tuesday of the ordinance governing Sunday sales, with the second reading scheduled for the Nov. 28 council meeting.

“If the council approves the ordinance at that meeting, our first Sunday for it to be in effect would be Dec. 3,” said Marcus Paramore, council president.

Troy residents voted in October to allow sales of alcoholic beverages on Sunday beginning no earlier than noon. Current city law allows for sales only from 12:01 a.m. Monday through 2 a.m. Sunday. The October referendum granted the council authority to draft the ordinance regulating Sunday sales.

The proposed ordinance allows for on- and off-premises sales on Sundays beginning at noon. It places restrictions on Lounge Class 1 permit holders – essentially bars and lounges – allowing sales only between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m., with the exception of three days: New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July. On those days, sales can begin at 2 p.m. with no cutoff time.

Paramore said the restrictions on bar and lounge sales is based in part on reviewing other communities’ guidelines and hearing feedback from Troy residents.

“The majority of the residents who called me said they supported Sunday sales for grocery stories, convenience stores, restaurants and the like,” Paramore said. “They said they’re not really concerned about restrictions on bars and lounges.”

He added that he had received only one call from a local lounge owner, who said the Sunday sales law didn’t matter to him because he doesn’t plan to open on Sunday.

Stephanie Baker, District 4 councilmember, said council members are curious to see how the ordinance affects local businesses. “It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with this, to see who stays open and what they do with the new opportunity,” she said.

In other business on Tuesday, the council:

• Awarded a bid of $207,040 to MidSouth Paving for the construction of a turn lane on Enzor Road and the realignment of the entrance to the Sportsplex. “Based on a traffic study … it was recommended at the time we built the new connector projects that we needed a left-hand turn lane on Enzor Road (onto the new connector road),” Tim Ramsden, engineer with CDG engineers told the council during the work session. “At the same time, we needed to realign the entrance to the Sportsplex.” Ramsden said this project was not included in the overall connection road construction in hopes of securing lower bids and avoiding timing concerns at the Sportsplex. “Now is the time of year to do the project, before it gets busy again in February,” he said. The project is expected to take about 45 days.

• Awarded a bid of $192,346 to Garnett Construction for upgrades at the Elm Street Substation and repairs and installation of a new transformer at the Industrial Complex substation.

• Approved an additional payroll for Nov. 17. Each full-time employee will receive the equivalent of 10 percent of his or her monthly salary while each part-time employee, including crossing guards, will receive $50 as part of the traditional holiday payroll award.