Cherokee, cities push ahead with Sunday alcohol referendum
by Kristal Dixon
kdixon@mdjonline.com
May 15, 2011 12:00 AM | 661 views | 2 2 comments | 4 4 recommendations | email to a friend | print
CANTON - Cherokee County and its cities continue to push ahead on letting their residents vote in November on Sunday alcohol sales.

The possibility of retail Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia was made possible after Gov. Nathan Deal signed legislation April 28 that gave cities and counties the authority to call for referendums on the matter.

The Holly Springs City Council on Monday will consider a resolution to call for voters to consider on the November ballot a referendum on allowing retail beer, wine and distilled spirits sales. Holly Springs will discuss the resolution during its work session at 6:30 p.m. on Monday and will consider it during its meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday.

The proposal would allow residents to decide on whether to allow retail beer, wine, package or distilled sprits to be sold in the city from 12:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Holly Springs is the latest city in the county to consider Sunday alcohol sales.

The Canton City Council during its May 5 meeting directed City Attorney Bobby Dyer to draft a resolution, which could be presented to the council as early as its meeting on Thursday.

The Woodstock City Council last week approved the first reading of an ordinance to call for a referendum and the Ball Ground City Council on Thursday also approved a resolution to call for retail Sunday sales.

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners directed its staff to bring forth a timeline by which the commission should notify the elections superintendent if it plans to consider a resolution calling for a referendum in November. The commission will discuss the timeline for a possible resolution during its meeting on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the county administration building.

The commission had previously indicated it wanted to wait to see if the Cherokee County Board of Education would formally call for a referendum on its Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

The school board during its May 5 meeting directed its attorney Tom Roach and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo to take the steps required to place the SPLOST on the Nov. 8 ballot, which makes it likely the county commission will consider a resolution.

Waleska has not indicated if it would consider a referendum and Nelson most likely will not consider the measure as it has no businesses where residents could purchase alcohol.

Other metro Atlanta cities such as Kennesaw, Smyrna, Snellville and Loganville have either approved resolutions or are in the discussion phase of a possible referendum.

The Cherokee Board of Commissioners on Tuesday will also:

n Announce Cherokee County Senior Services is running Operation Military Parcels, a letter writing and package drive during the months of May and June. Donations can be dropped off at the senior center on Univeter Road. Call Patricia Kenny at (770) 345-6730 or email at pkenny@cherokeega.com;

n Consider a request from the Cherokee County Development Authority to modify conditions on 55 acres of land on James Dupree Road, to rezone 42 acres on James Dupree Road from agricultural to light industrial and to rezone 6 acres of property on James Dupree Road from R-40 residential to light industrial;

n Consider a request from Woodrow Wilson McClure Jr. to rezone 0.34 acres on Highway 140/Reinhardt College Parkway between Hospital Road and April Street north of Canton from R-40 residential to general commercial for a business;

n Discuss and possibly adopt a proposed precious metal dealers ordinance;

n Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens will summarize his trip to Seattle on behalf of the Atlanta Regional Commission, request the commission reappoint Scott Rule to the county Library Board of Trustees, discuss a needed appointment to the Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases regional planning board;

n Commissioner Jason Nelms will ask the board to consider naming June 11 as Dixie Speedway Day in the county;

n consider approval of a change order with HDR Engineering, Inc. on the East Park property on Highway 20 in the amount of $91,496 for survey and engineering design services for the pump station and main sewer line system;

n consider accepting a proposal by Top Tennis Group for management of Cherokee Tennis Center at JJ Biello Park in Woodstock;

n consider award construction contract/agreement to Woody's Agricultural Services, Inc. for preparation and grassing of the soccer playing fields at the soccer complex on Blalock Road in the total amount of $494,510, with a contingency fund of $75,000.
Comments
(2)
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JefferyJones
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October 03, 2011
If I want to buy a six pack on a Sunday I should be able to do that, plain and simple. Why any private citizen would be against this law is incomprehensible. Time to bring Georgia into the 21st century.
Against Sunday Sales
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May 15, 2011
Much is being made about letting the citizens vote on whether or not to allow Sunday alcohol sales.

In my opinion, anyone who votes in favor of this law is only doing it for self serving reasons; that is, having a finiancial interest in Sunday alcohol sales, or too dependant on alcohol to wait until Monday.

Also, my opinion is that anyone who is for Sunday alcohol sales is too irresponsible to be allowed to vote on any issue.

The same ones who vote for Sunday sales will be the same ones who voted in the polititions we have running the country today. We don't need to give these people the authority to decide who can drink and drive on Sunday, or who can buy alcohol on Sunday. There is enough drinking and driving Monday thru Saturday.
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