Alcohol rules taking shape

By Staff
Leada DeVaney, Hartselle Enquirer
It's 27 pages long and already in its second draft, but Hartselle officials hope an alcohol ordinance will be ready if city voters opt to turn the city wet on Nov. 5.
"I'm glad we're already working on it," City Planner Sam Clemmons said. "We can go ahead and get the hard part out of the way."
Clemmons, along with City Attorney Larry Madison, are working on an ordinance that could be adopted if the voters approve alcohol sales in the city. Council members have looked at similar ordinances from other cities, including Decatur and Guntersville, in drafting the ordinance.
Clemmons said he knows the ordinance will not make everyone happy.
"We're going to have people mad at us on both sides," he said. "Our goal is to put all the information out there and then let the council decide."
Clemmons presented the ordinance's second draft to the council during a work session Monday night. Much of it deals with the locations where alcoholic beverages could be sold, but it also covers licensing and employee regulations.
Some of the highlights of the proposed ordinance are: