PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED TO DISCUSS SUNDAY ALCOHOL SALES

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The Thomasville City Council has scheduled a special public hearing to gain local feedback on proposed Sunday alcohol sales and /or consumption for the city of Thomasville. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Meeting Room of the Thomasville Municipal Building.

The public hearing is being held in an effort to gain feedback, both for and against, a possible referendum. The hearing will explore public input regarding both Sunday sales and Sunday consumption. According to city staff, the public hearing is the first step in a process to bring the issues before the citizens of Thomasville.

“Sunday sales and Sunday consumption are actually two separate discussions,” said City Manager Steve Sykes. “Gaining public input is the first step in a process that may ultimately allow local voters to make the final decision regarding Sunday sales and/or consumption in Thomasville.”

The process to bring the issues to voters starts with the Thomasville City Council accepting public input. Based on community feedback, the Council will then decide whether or not to call for a referendum that would then allow voters to make the final decision concerning Sunday alcohol sales and/or consumption.

According to city staff, the Council could call for both questions, Sunday sales and consumption, to be included on a referendum, or either question individually. The feedback received from the community in this and other public hearings will be considered.

While December 7th will mark the first opportunity for public input, Sykes said that it is the first of several opportunities for the public to discuss the matter of Sunday alcohol sales and/or consumption.

This public hearing is an opportunity for feedback only and does not signal immediate action by the City Council; the earliest that the issue of Sunday alcohol sales and/or consumption could come before local voters would be March 2017.

“That is not a firm date,” said Sykes. “Should the City Council feel more discussion is necessary, the issue could be pushed back to the next available date for consideration, which would be November 2017. Our goal with this public hearing is to see where our community stands on this subject. Based on the input, the Council will decide whether or not to call for a referendum.”


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