Red Bay’s alcohol ordinance a boost for city roadwork

The Red Bay City Council’s recent passing of an alcohol ordinance was a positive move on two counts.

In the November 2024 general election, voters sent council members a ballot message when they voted in favor of allowing alcohol sales in the city. That message launched the council’s five-month efforts to craft the 38-page ordinance. It was formally approved April 16 by a 3-0 vote.

Council members voting for it were Jarod Massey, Jason Vinson and Brad M. Bolton. Council members absent and not voting were Mike Kennedy and Herbert Trulove.

Equally important for city officials was deciding how to use the funds that would be generated. As it turns out, the decision was an easy one. The funds will be dedicated to improving and maintaining city streets.

“Every street in the city needs attention,” said Mayor Charlene Fancher. “Paving and maintenance of our city roads is an expensive, continuous challenge.”

Council member Jason Vinson agreed: “Roads are something you don’t get grants for, so we wanted to tie the money to paving,” he said.

Currently, the only funds the city uses for street repairs is revenue generated by the Alabama Municipal Aid Program, which allocates a portion of the state’s gas tax revenues to each municipality. In 2024, Red Bay received $58,283.29.

That money doesn’t go very far, and with the cost of materials increasing yearly, a new revenue source was very much needed.

Fancher said it’s too early to even guess how much revenue the alcohol ordinance will generate, but all of it will be earmarked for roadwork. Best of all, it’s an ongoing source of revenue that is likely to grow each year, which should make ease the annual roadwork challenges the city faces.