The Starkville Board of Aldermen will look to call for a public hearing for the “Go Cup” ordinance at their next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 6.
The ordinance would allow residents to purchase an alcoholic beverage or wine from an authorized business, then leave the business as long as it remains within the boundaries of the designated leisure and recreation district.
According to Mississippi house bill 1223 which was passed in 2016 State law defines a “leisure and recreation district” as a area designated by the municipal governing body with an ordinance or resolution.
Mayor Lynn Spruill said the particular areas she will look at would include downtown, the Cotton District and other locations where people gather for arts and entertainment.
Spruill said the ordinance she is proposing would not be restricted to events, but would rely on hours. The proposed ordinance would tentatively be allowed Monday through Thursday, from 4 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday from noon to 1 a.m. and Sunday from noon to midnight.
Other specific regulations for the ordinance includes a specific cup, no larger than 16 ounces. Also, residents can’t go into other establishments who sell alcohol with their Go Cup.
As residents leave the designated area, there will be notification of the boundary and they will have to dispose of their cup.
Although the proposed hours for the ordinance has not been made official, the board can decide to change the way the ordinance reads.
Spruill said the reasoning for the timing of putting the ordinance on the board’s agenda is it could be implemented for the Cotton District Arts Festival, if it were to pass.
Moving forward, Spruill said the change would add “a point of character” to the neighborhood.
“It is my hope that the board will be supportive of it,” Spruill said. “It is one of those things that I think will enhance our ability to be an event-oriented community.”
When asked if there’s any downside to having the ordinance in place, Spruill said she is not worried because whenever events are held in the city, it is handled in a secure and efficient manner.
According to house bill 1223 State law says a municipality must describe the manner in which it will provide adequate law enforcement.
“I think we are well equipped to handle it, and you always have things that perhaps are not anticipated,” Spruill said. “We have researched with other locales that have done this, we are not the first, and there are others that have it in place and it seems to be working nicely for them.”
One particular city Spruill mentioned was Decatur, Alabama, who follows the Go Cup
ordinance.
As the discussion moves forward, Spruill said her main goal with the ordinance is to make Starkville an attractive town, gravitating toward tourism, restaurants and events.
“It is my hope that it will be one of those things that enhances our ability to enjoy our
downtown and our public spaces,” Spruill said.
ALDERMEN WEIGH IN
Vice Mayor and Ward 6 Alderman Roy A’. Perkins, who was vocally opposed to changes in alcohol sales times and distances from churches, said he is against the Go Cup ordinance.
“I am not in favor of these liberal ordinances that allow for liberal uses and consumption of alcohol, whiskey, beer and wine in our great city,” Perkins said.
Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk said as the board prepares for the possible call for a public hearing, she is ready to look at the Go Cup ordinance.
“I am open to exploring anything that will benefit our city from an economic development perspective and a quality of life perspective,” Sistrunk said. “The Go Cup ordinance would probably have an impact on both.”
Sistrunk said having the public hearings will allow her and the board to get input from constituents and the community. She said it is incumbent of the board to explore this ordinance.
With the proposed ordinance in question, Sistrunk said it will come down to how the ordinance is written, and how well the community complies with the ordinance.
Financially, Sistrunk said the Go Cup ordinance would help with not only potential revenue, but also making some of these entertainment areas more attractive to people who are interested in locating to those areas.
“I think it would be beneficial in that way, more than generating more revenue in the same entity that we have right now,” Sistrunk said. “Anything that keeps these areas with filled storefronts is good for our community.”
Ward 3 Alderman David Little, who was the deciding vote for the alcohol ordinance change, said he would like to use the preliminary stages of the discussions to gather information from the public and constituents before making a decision.
Little said he can see an upside regarding the area of events the town currently has. He said the changes would help Starkville better compete with other Southeastern Conference college towns and cities within the state.
“If we’re going to be competitive as far as events go, we’re going to need to have something of this nature,” Little said.
The board will meet for its work session this Friday and will have its next board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 6.