Calhoun City votes to allow sale of alcohol
CALHOUN CITY, Miss. (WCBI) – For the first time in history, the town voted to allow the sale of alcohol.
The mayor of Calhoun City says he could see the impact the sales had on surrounding areas.
He believes it will keep people in the town for safety reasons such as being closer to home to cut down on drinking and driving, and he also hopes it will also benefit them economically.
Calhoun City officials voted 4-to-1 to allow the sale of alcohol thanks to House Bill 776, which allows a municipality to vote on an ordinance to govern the sale of alcoholic beverages.
Mayor Marshall W. Coleman says citizens and business owners have pushed for this as well, however, this has been a controversial matter since the beginning.
“The way we see it, it gives us an economic base we don’t have,” Coleman said. “It allows our citizens to be able to go in the stores here and get what they would otherwise have to drive to neighboring municipalities to get.”
Mayor Coleman says it all comes back to what is in the best interest of Calhoun City. And the tax dollars will stay there.
“I think it’ll have a huge impact because we keep our tax dollars here,” Coleman said. “If it’s legal in one area, we feel like it should be legal in all areas and that we’d be able to keep our tax dollars here at home where they will benefit the growth of our town and our city here.”
Overall, Coleman says he believes it will help grow the town – not only from a monetary standpoint but also have people come to the town and invest.
Mayor Coleman says he has consulted with surrounding towns that sell alcohol and can see the growth.
In 2022, the city of Bruce began allowing beer and wine after citizens pushed for it.
Mayor Jimmy Hubbard says it has given the tax base of the town a small boost.
“It has increased it, not considerably, or anything like that, but we have seen an increase in our tax sales,” Hubbard said.
Mayor Coleman says businesses are already reaching out and ready to get the ball rolling.
They are hoping to start sales by November.
