A Starkville alderman plans to introduce a change in the city’s alcohol ordinance to allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays.
Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey said at Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting that he will introduce the measure at the April 18 meeting.
The ordinance would allow beer, light wine and liquor to be sold on Sundays in restaurants and bars, he said. Beverages with an alcohol content of less than 5 percent, such as beer and light wine, could be sold in stores on Sundays.
Ward 3 Alderman P.C. McLaurin said he had no forewarning of Corey’s proposal.
“The proposal of course came out of the clear blue out of let field without any advance notice to any of the aldermen as far as I know,” he said.
“There’s been no discussion with any of those stakeholders that might be interested in doing such a thing, say the restaurant association for example, so to have something presented like this, without any preparation, doesn’t usually result in adoption of whatever the matter is,” he said.
Corey said that input from constituents is one rea son he decided to propose the change, he said. “I’ve had some of my constituents ask for it, and I have no problem with it,” he said. Nearby cities, including West Point and Columbus, allow the sale of alcohol on Sunday, Corey said. “I think with all the cities nearby that allow the sale of beer on Sunday, it would make us competitive,” he said.
Student Association attorney general Aaron Rice said he hopes to see students discussing the change, contacting their representatives on the Board of Aldermen and voicing their opinions at the meeting.
“There’s a great relationship between the university and the city, and students can play a strong role in the community if they choose to,” he said.
SA Senator Sam Harris said he supports the measure. “It’s something students have been wanting for a while now.”
Harris has never understood the reasoning behind the law, he said. “As far as the law itself goes, to me it’s just an antiquated blue law,” he said.
A change in the ordinance might also help get more restaurants open on Sunday, he said.
McLaurin said he thinks the average citizen of Starkville will not support the measure “because it goes against our whole custom and tradition.”
“I suspect there are some students that don’t think that’s a good idea at all either, and there wil be some older people who think it’s a good idea. You know, it works both ways,” he said.