Red Bay passes alcohol ordinance
RED BAY – The city now has an alcohol ordinance in effect and interested parties may apply for an alcohol license.
The move to adopt an ordinance is a response to the November 2024 general election where voters opted in favor of alcohol sales in the town.
The ordinance, 38 pages in length, covers a wide variety of factors, including where alcohol is allowed to be sold and when, as well as restrictions concerning location of such places, advertising and other factors.
There is a $300 application fee the city keeps regardless of whether an application is approved or denied. To apply for a special events license, the application fee is $150.
The funds generated by the ordinance will be earmarked for future paving projects, said Councilman Jason Vinson.
“Since the people of the town got out and voted for alcohol sales in Red Bay, I wanted to make sure we use the funds to better Red Bay somehow,” said Vinson.
“Roads are something you don’t get grants for, so we wanted to tie the money to paving,” he said.
Mayor Charlene Fancher said the city has no projections for how much revenue will be generated by the alcohol ordinance.
“Anticipated revenue cannot be determined until the process of collecting revenue begins,” Fancher said.
The only other revenue prioritized for road infrastructure is the state-mandated Municipal Aid accounts of gasoline tax revenue. That “does not accumulate large sums for paving projects,” Fancher said.
The 2024 Municipal Aid Revenue was $58,283.29.
Fancher said applying for an alcohol license is a two-step process wherein an applicant must receive approval from both the City and the ABC Board.
She said the city is ready to assist anyone interested in applying for an alcohol license. The city’s Alcohol Committee will review each application to make sure all requirements have been met.
In addition, a public notice is advertised to notify the community when the city council will be voting on an alcoholic beverage license request. It’s an estimated two- to three-week process, Fancher said, depending on the timing of regularly scheduled council meetings and the publication date of the public notice.
“Every street in the city needs attention,” Fancher said. “Paving and maintenance of our city roads is an expensive, continuous challenge, and we look forward to improving our city streets with this new tax revenue.”
