The city may not be dry for long now that it has revised its ordinance on beer sales to allow some stores to sell beer for consumption off the premises.
The council voted 4-1 earlier this month to change the ordinance after a developer proposed a new store."It was an attempt to enable the city to be more competitive in economic development," City Manager Michael Moyes said.
He said the revised ordinance actually cracks down on beer consumption in the city by outlining the distance stores must be from schools, churches and other specified facilities.
The city's lone grocery store - Western Market - won't be affected by the ordinance change since it's too close to both a school and church to sell beer.
The new ordinance also prohibits the consumption of alcohol in city parks and buildings.
Most council members felt the previous ordinance was too restrictive on stores and that it was time for the city to be a little more aggressive in attracting new commercial development.
Moyes said the new ordinance still prohibits a restaurant from serving beer.