Zach Henson
Assistant News Editor
The Pike County Commission is preparing to send a bill to the Alabama Legislature that would give the county the authority to regulate alcohol sales on Sundays, following the required advertisement in the Troy Messenger.
According to state law, the bill must be advertised for four weeks before it can be sent to the state legislature. Saturday will be the last time the full text of the bill appears in the Troy Messenger.
County records show that the Pike County Commission voted unanimously to approve the final bill and move forward with the advertising on Jan. 8.
“From what I understand, what it is, is a matter of fairness and equality throughout the county, so that there is not one group in the county that is treated differently than another group,” said County Administrator Harry Sanders.
The commission does not currently have the authority to regulate alcohol sales on Sundays.
The bill states the request of the county commission to the Alabama Legislature “to authorize the Pike County Commission to provide for the sale of alcoholic beverages,” so that it “may regulate and permit the sale of alcoholic beverages outside of the corporate limits of the City of Troy for on-premises and off-premises consumption after 12:00 p.m. on Sundays … by properly licensed retail licensees of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board serving the general public.”
If passed in the Alabama Legislature, the bill will immediately become a local act, allowing the commission to allow itself or the county residents to vote on the allowance of alcohol sales after noon on Sundays, matching the recent legislation of the City of Troy. The City of Troy began allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sundays after noon on Dec. 3, 2017.
Allowing the sale of alcohol on Sundays may lead to economic development in Troy, according to Troy City Council President Marcus Paramore.
The commission is hopeful for similar developments for the county if the bill is passed.
