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City passes ordinance on alcohol use
The Russellville City Council certified the election results Monday from the Nov. 2 wet/dry referendum.The vote tally only changed by one, leaving the final count at 1,423 in favor of legalized alcohol sales and 1,327 opposed.
The first council action taken on the matter since the measure’s passage was also made Monday.
The council voted to pass an ordinance to regulate open containers of alcohol because now that alcohol sales have been legalized, there is no longer an illegal possession of alcohol charge on the books in the city.
Police Chief Chris Hargett said he felt the ordinance needed to be implemented since Russellville was “officially a wet city” even though no one has been licensed to sell alcohol yet.
The ordinance states that “it is illegal for anyone to possess, consume or use any open container containing alcoholic beverages while upon any public place, street, alley, road or highway in the city limits of Russellville.”
Council members also spoke in length about other ordinances that need to be passed regulating alcohol sales, but put no timetable on making anything official. Councilman David Grissom said he wanted to make sure the ordinances were done right no matter how long it took.
“I don’t want us to have to come back in here and make amendments,” Councilman William Nale said.
City clerk Kim Wright is in the process of looking through ordinances passed in other towns and putting a rough draft together for the council to review.
In other business, the council:
• accepted the resignation of Municipal Judge Chad Coker and appointed Roger Bedford to the post.
• re-appointed Larry Archer to the Industrial Development Board.
• adopted the 2011 Statement of Commitment for Workers Compensation Insurance to receive a discount.
• recognized Kenneth Hatton’s retirement from the electric department.
• authorized bids for a generator, which was 100 percent funded by a grant, for the Fire Department.
• renewed contracts with Danny Price and the Russellville City school system to serve as a youth resource officer and Bobby Brown as police chaplain.
• approved painting the Chucky Mullins Center as a capital improvement project not to exceed $5,250.
