Pikeville residents will vote on alcohol sales, again
By Laura Collins
Published in News on July 15, 2009 1:46 PM
Voters in Pikeville will once again have the opportunity to vote on allowing alcohol sales.
The town Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday night to put an alcohol sales resolution on November's ballot. Commissioners discussed two possible resolutions at the meeting, one allowing only off-site alcohol sales, which would allow people to buy alcohol at grocery stores only, or another resolution allowing alcohol sales at restaurants and hotels in addition to stores.
Commissioners decided in an effort to bring more restaurants into the area, the second resolution was the best option.
Mayor Herb Sieger said selling alcohol in town could help increase revenue. He said it's not the beer itself that would likely increase revenue, but what people will buy when they go into local stores in addition to alcohol, like chips or pretzels.
"With the limited amount of people that we have, our cost of living is just going to keep going higher and higher unless we can increase our tax base," he said. "So what way do you want to go? Do you want to keep raising the property taxes higher and higher so we can get the revenue in, or do we want somebody else to help us?"
Commissioners also discussed concerns citizens may have, including more trash littered in the area. Commissioner Vance Greeson said it's just as likely trash from increased sales will end up in Pikeville as surrounding towns.
There was also some concern selling alcohol in town might cause more problems. But police Chief Pascal Tucker said he thinks it's unlikely.
"I don't think anything is going to increase because we'll be able to sell beer," he said. "People are already allowed to drink alcohol in the town, so that won't change."
The resolution on Nov-ember's ballot will be the fourth time in recent years the topic has come before Pikeville voters. It was voted down the past three times. If voted down again, the town will have to wait three years before another alcohol sales resolution can be put on the ballot.