McKayville council reviews draft alcohol ordinance ahead of May 19 referendum

McKayville At a special workshop focused solely on the city's alcohol ordinance, council members and staff reviewed proposed changes that would add distilled spirits, extend the downtown business district, clarify package-wine sales and update other language from the 2017 ordinance.

The council was told the substantive addition is distilled spirits; most other edits are drafting clarifications and typo corrections. The city's licensing official explained the geographic change would expand the downtown-business district along Blue Ridge Drive and keep Bridge Street included, but the expansion would not extend into residential areas and would continue to protect polling places, churches, schools and housing-authority properties under the ordinance's distance rules.

"If somebody wants an alcohol license, they come and petition Denise," the licensing official said, describing the application and enforcement process. "She gives that to me and then I investigate it. ... Once it complies, that's when I come to y'all and say, 'Hey, we got a new restaurant that wants to have a malt beverage and wine license.'" The official added that applicants must post notice, provide a certified survey for distance measurements, submit fingerprints and undergo criminal-background checks before staff presents any application to the council.

On the ballot logistics, staff clarified the citizen referendum on distilled spirits is scheduled for May 19 and will be conducted at city hall on paper ballots with early voting and absentee ballots available. The workshop included a read-aloud of the proposed ballot question that asks whether the governing authority should be authorized to issue distilled-spirits licenses by the drink for on-premises consumption.

Staff outlined the post-approval process if voters authorize distilled spirits: the ordinance would be published in the newspaper per statutory notice requirements, the council would hold the required two readings (the first reading after publication), and a special called meeting would likely be scheduled two weeks following the reading to finalize implementation.

Councilors reviewed operational details in the draft: package sales for wine would be added with a specific fee for that class ($3,500 in the draft), consumption-on-premises licenses (malt beverages, wine or distilled spirits) were set at $1,000 for the first year in the draft, and certain temporary extensions of last call (up to 12 times a year to 1 a.m. with council approval) are included. The licensing official emphasized that even if the council approves an application, applicants must still obtain a state license.

The workshop clarified that if the referendum fails, staff will remove distilled spirits from the draft but keep the downtown-district expansion and wine-package clarifications and then proceed with the required publications and readings to clean up the 2017 ordinance.

The council did not take a final vote at the workshop; the next procedural steps are the May 19 referendum and, if approved by voters, subsequent ordinance publications and readings in June. The meeting adjourned after the council moved to close the workshop.