NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Proponents of alcohol sales in Boone County are a step closer to putting the issue on the November ballot after delivering to the county clerk about 12,000 signatures on petitions Wednesday.
Supporters delivered some 1,400 pages of signatures to the Boone County Courthouse in their effort to get a referendum on the ballot to allow alcohol sales.
If voters approve the question, one liquor store per 4,000 residents could open, said Kathy Gibson, document examiner for the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control Board. That would amount to nine liquor stores, based on the latest population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Approval would allow for the sale of packaged beer and wine. It wouldn’t allow for so-called “liquor by the drink,” which would take a separate election, she said. Liquor by the drink means permitted restaurants and bars can serve alcohol without becoming a private club.
To secure a space on the ballot, Citizens for the Future of Boone County needed signatures from at least 8,269 registered voters, said Jeff Crockett, chairman of the organization.
“After cross checking [the petitions] with the voter rolls, we feel we are right at that number,” Crockett said.
Boone County Clerk Crystal Gaddy will verify the signatures. Because the group turned in more than the minimum number, it qualifies for an extra 10 days of collection time if she finds there are not enough valid signatures.
Some signatures will be discounted as duplicates or because they are from residents who aren’t registered to vote, Gaddy said.
The signatures should be certified by Tuesday, Gaddy said. If there aren’t enough, proponents will be sent a letter by certified mail telling them how many additional signatures they need. The 10-day countdown begins once the group receives the letter.
A different group tried unsuccessfully to get the matter before voters two years ago, Gaddy said. Unlike with the previous attempt, this group likely won’t fail for a lack of signatures, she said.
“Barring some sort of issue through the legal system, I’m anticipating they’ll be on the ballot,” Gaddy said.
Such a legal challenge is being contemplated by Citizens for Responsive Government, said Ralph Hudson, chairman of the group formed to oppose the ballot measure.
“Until we know how many signatures they have, we don’t know exactly what course of action we’ll take,” he said.
The group has several possible legal challenges to the petition drive, but Hudson said he didn’t want to discuss them until after the certification process is complete.
Should the matter make it to the ballot, Hudson said his group plans to continue to fight it.
Both sides agree that the debate over alcohol sales is mainly about quality of life in Boone County.
Hudson said that turning Boone into a “wet” county would have a “very negative impact on the quality of life.” Crime would increase, and any money made from taxing alcohol sales would be nullified by the increased costs to county and local governments to enforce alcohol laws, he said.
Crockett thinks allowing visitors a chance to relax with a drink at a nice restaurant will only encourage them to stay in Harrison, rather than go to nearby Branson. He said that if the measure is approved for liquor stores, his group will immediately take up the drive for a vote to allow liquor by the drink sales.
Whatever happens, Crockett said, the voters should decide how they define quality of life.
“We just want everybody [to] have a chance to vote on it and let the majority have say on what goes on in the county, not just a few,” he said.
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Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 08/05/2010