In Monday night’s executive committee meeting, the Milton City Council voted to pursue placing an future referendum on Sunday alcohol sales in an upcoming ballot. The issue will be voted upon again by the council members on Tuesday during the council’s regular meeting as part of the regular consent agenda.
Sunday alcohol sales have been much discussed recently in the city’s Growth, Development and Annexation Committee in which voices for and against allowing alcohol sales made their case before Milton’s elected officials.
At Monday night’s meeting, several restaurant owners attended and asked the council to consider taking a stance on the issue themselves instead of seeking to place it on a future ballot.
Mike Thomas, owner of Grover T’s BBQ restaurant, asked the council to consider the economic growth standpoint.
“You have other businesses looking at this community and deciding to come here or not,” he said. “If the City of Milton wants to be progressive and step forward then you guys vote.”
Thomas said he wants parity amongst the restaurants in both the north and south end’s of the county.
“We don’t need to wait 15 months in order for it to go on a ballot,” he said.
Thomas was the not the only restaurateur to ask the council not to proceed with pursuing the referendum.
Glen Hill, the manager of the Blackwater Bistro in Milton, was also in favor of the council making the decision.
“This is about economics and not about religious beliefs,” he said.
Council member Jimmy Messick said the council said Milton’s elected officials have already heard both sides on this topic.
“We have heard both sides of this story numerous times before and the committee decided to bring this recommendation to the executive committee because there is a valid even split for those for and those against,” Messick said. “Because it is such an important issue for this committee, not just the business community but the whole community; I believe it is in the best interest of the community vote on however they want.”
Messick said having the referendum placed on the November, 2016 ballot for the general election would give a more accurate consensus of where the people stand on the issue.
Fellow council member Mary Ellen Johnson thanked the business owners for attending the meeting and sharing their concerns on the matter.
“I am fully aware of the economic benefits,” she said. “If we are to be the true leaders we represent population of people out there and true leadership would cause me to believe that we do need approve this pursuing of placing that alcohol sales on the ballot, so that all of our citizens will have chance to respond.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton: Council seeks to put Sunday alcohol sales on future ballot