The Pittsboro mayor and board of aldermen told Charles Scott Alexander Tuesday night they would not stand in the way of any effort to bring about a referendum on legalizing alcohol.
“We’re not going to go around and tell people not to sign it,” Mayor Reda Bullard said of the petition Alexander intends to circulate. “It’s a free country.”
Alexander met with the board last month seeking their feedback on the issue, saying he didn’t want to press the matter if the town board was set against it.
“I just wanted to know if the board is, not willing to support, but just cooperate with the effort to bring it up for a vote,” Alexander said.
He explained he didn’t want to upset anyone if he asked Town Clerk Amy White for a list of registered voters or Board Attorney Ben Suber for advice on how the petition needs to be worded.
Suber said he had no objections and verified the voting roll is public info.
The petition will have to include signatures from at least 20% of the registered voters in the town. The number of registered voters wasn’t known for certain at the meeting, but was estimated to be around 150, meaning approximately 30-35 signatures would be required to allow the referendum.
Mayor Bullard also pointed out an issue that if alcohol is legalized, she didn’t think it could be sold within 1,500 feet of a church, which would rule out the Pittsboro Square.
Alexander said he wasn’t sure of the specifics of that law, but that there was a store in Coffeeville next door to the school and very close to a church.
Suber said he would pull that statute and check on that.
“If it passes, I feel certain they will find a place somewhere for a store,” Alderman Jimmy Franklin said. “I don’t think that would be a problem.”
The petition is made possible by a state law passed by the legislature that opened the door for any county seat, regardless of population, to hold a referendum. No other towns in Calhoun are eligible for a referendum on alcohol, only countywide.
Alexander said he would rely on citizens in town to inform him on whether the petition should seek permission to sell beer or wine/liquor.