City leaders have tabled a proposal to hold a citywide election on whether or not to designate Eupora as a “qualified resort area” under the Local Option Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
A resolution to do so was presented to the Eupora Board of Aldermen at a special meeting called by Mayor Lamar Dumas on March 19. Aldermen Gerald Gary (at-large), Junior Shaw (Ward 1) and Howard Rumore (Ward 2) were present.
Dumas started the discussion by relating that he had talked with state Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, about the matter. The mayor said Hood told him the Legislature was willing to introduce special legislation that would give the city an opportunity to be able to vote in November on whether “we want to remain dry or go wet.”
“This is something that I’ve heard and been asked to go into,” Dumas said. “There’s always going to be pros and cons on both sides.”
Board attorney Jacqueline Meek then gave an overview of the resolution “requesting that the Legislature of the state of Mississippi will designate the city of Eupora as a qualified resort area.” Meek later emphasized outside the meeting that she was asked to prepare and present the resolution under the direction of the mayor.
Meek said she had learned only 45 minutes before the meeting that two more paragraphs needed to be spelled out in the resolution and that she had not had time to add them. Additionally, she said Hood stressed that approval of the resolution needed to be unanimous by all five aldermen in order for it to be introduced in the Legislature.
After some discussion, Gary made a motion, seconded by Rumore, to table the matter until the board received a complete resolution and had time to study it. Gary also said all of the aldermen needed to be present before voting on it. His motion was approved 3-0.
Hugh Gibson (Ward 3) was unable to attend because he was at a meeting of the Webster County School Board, for which he is the attorney. Robert Gibbs (Ward 4) was also absent. Ricky and Cynthia Wilson were the only members of the public present.
Dumas did call another special meeting Thursday night on the alcohol resolution, when Meek had the final version ready. However, only two aldermen showed up: Shaw and Gibbs. Without a quorum of at least three board members present, no meeting could be held and therefore no action could be taken.
“I will contact (Hood) and tell him we didn’t have a meeting,” Dumas said.
Resolution details
The proposed resolution notes that Eupora is located in Webster County, where the sale and possession of alcoholic beverages is prohibited. It adds that the city is the site of Whites Creek Lake, an attraction for fishing and recreation, and that the city is located on U.S. 82, a major four-lane highway “which regularly and routinely brings tourists, vacationists and others to the city of Eupora.”
The document goes on to say that various citizens of the city and various businesspeople operating here have expressed their opinion to members of the board that it would be to city’s advantage for business, taxation, economic development and other reasons for it to change its status so that the sale and possession of alcoholic beverages here would be legalized and allowed.
The resolution as proposed requested that the Legislature grant the city, a municipality located in a dry county, “the status of qualified resort area so that it can poll its citizens on the question of whether or not the sale and possession of alcoholic beverages should be allowed within the city of Eupora.”
If the sale and possession of alcoholic beverages is allowed in the city following an election to determine that question, the city stated its intention is regulate their sale by specifying the hours of operation that offer alcoholic beverages for sale; by specifying the percentage of revenue that facilities that offer them must derive from the preparation, cooking and serving of meals and not from the sale of beverages; and by designating the areas in which facilities that offer alcoholic beverages for sale may be located.
The resolution requested that the Legislature act upon the city’s request during the current session, if at all possible, so that resort status would be granted quickly and Eupora citizens could soon have the opportunity “to vote and express their opinion on the issue of whether the sale and possession of alcoholic beverages be allowed in the city.”
The city’s intent, according to the proposed measure, was to hold the election on the date of the next general election (Nov. 6) without the necessity of a petition from 20 percent of the registered voters in the city.
In order for a citywide referendum to be held this November, according to the discussion, the Legislature would have needed an approved resolution in hand by Friday, March 23, which was the deadline for introduction of local and private bills that are not revenue bills. The 2018 legislative session concludes Sunday.
Meek confirmed that the full board can still vote on the resolution later, but that the Legislature cannot consider it until it convenes next January, unless a special session is convened before then. If the resolution is ever adopted by the board and passed by the Legislature, the measure would then require a citywide referendum.
