FARMINGTON -- The steps to place a question on the ballot to allow alcohol sales in Farmington is a long and complicated process, City Attorney Steve Tennant told the city's Economic Development Committee last week.
"I go through this every couple of years with people who want to pursue it," Tennant said. "I go through the motions but there's not a lot of follow through because it is a lot of effort, a lot of effort."
Tennant said he and the Farmington City Council do not take a position on the sale of alcohol in Farmington and would not be involved in placing a local initiative on the ballot. That would have to come from an individual or an organization or groups of individuals, he said.
He is available to help anyone, he said, because he wants to make sure the process is done correctly.
The Economic Development Committee met Thursday at City Hall to brainstorm about the possibility of having alcohol sales within the city limits. After the meeting, committee Chairwoman Diane Bryant said the group would not be the one to place the question on the ballot by petition. That would have to come from others.
"We're just opening up the idea and discussing it," Bryant said. "Businesses would have to take it from here."
The city of Farmington last had an election on the sale of alcohol on Nov. 2, 2004. Out of 2,228 registered voters at the time, 73 percent cast votes, with 858 voting against the sale of alcohol and 762 for the sale of alcohol.
Tommy Cornwell, a member of Farmington Area Chamber of Commerce and a committee member, said he supports placing the question on the ballot again, even though it was turned down 11 years ago.
"The population of Farmington has changed since then," Cornwell said. "That's why I think people need to speak again at the ballot box."
Cornwell said he does not know how he would vote if it was on the ballot.
"I'm comfortable however it goes," he added.
Cornwell said the Chamber's Board of Directors is in favor of placing the question on the ballot but would not take a position either way.
Tennant said local option initiatives can only be placed on a regular general election ballot. The next general election will be in November 2016. Tennant said if individuals or organizations are interested in placing alcohol sales on the 2016 ballot, he recommends they start the process early.
He also recommends that if groups or businesses want to pursue this, they hire an outside firm to do all the work.
"If only a handful of individuals take up the cause, it's not going to happen. I suggest you get donations from businesses and hire someone to coordinate it and get it done," Tennant said.
To place the question of alcohol sales on the ballot would require signatures of 38 percent of registered voters on initiative petitions. The percentage is based on the number of registered voters 75 days before the election. On Aug. 24, for example, Farmington had 3,916 registered voters, so 38 percent of this total would be 1,489 qualified signatures.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Division of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration has rules and regulations about local option initiatives to approve alcohol sales and these regulations change almost every year, Tennant said. In addition, the wording on petitions has to be drafted a certain way and the language that appears on an election ballot has to be approved by the Washington County Election Commission.
Several committee members indicated they believe city voters should be able to vote on whether alcohol can be sold within the city limits.
Tura Graves, describing herself as a concerned citizen, said she thinks people should at least be given the choice to choose.
Tracy Nelson said Farmington's population has grown and changed, adding, "I would say the community would probably be for it."
The meeting included other business representatives. Lora Randall, store manager of Walmart Neighborhood Market in Farmington, said she would like to be able to sell alcohol in the store.
"As a business manager, I think it would be great to have that," Randall said. "I get two to five customers a week asking where it is in the store."
Bryant said the committee would continue to brainstorm and discuss the issue at its September meeting. She said she thinks the committee should mail out letters to businesses to gauge interest in pursuing an initiative.
"I strongly encourage you to discuss this with the local businesses because they have an interest," Tennant told committee members. "You can't buy it in Farmington but you can buy it in Fayetteville. If people are going to buy it, they are going to buy it."
The 2004 election results did not completely ban the sale of alcohol in Farmington because a private club or restaurant can apply for a liquor license from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission. In Farmington, Gabriella's Mexican restaurant has a private license to sell alcohol. The Golf Club at Valley View, which was annexed into Farmington in early 2008, also can sell alcoholic drinks to its customers and members because it was annexed after the 2004 election.
Washington County is wet, except for dry areas within county borders. According to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission website, the following areas are dry within Washington County: the townships of Cane Hill, Crawford, Greenland, Price, Starr Hill, Valley, West Fork, White River, Winslow and Vineyard, and the cities of Prairie Grove and Farmington.
General News on 09/02/2015