After being tabled once, then dying without a second, the third time was the charm for the Aragon City Council when they voted to approve two resolutions to pass and give voters the opportunity to decide on whether to allow liquor and Sunday alcohol sales within the city limits.

Wednesday’s City Council meeting – postponed from last Thursday due to a member being forced to quarantine after a COVID-19 exposure – saw the two resolutions pass unanimously and without further comment.

The resolutions now allow for questions to be placed on the ballot, first seeking voters to decide if they want to allow the sale of liquor within the city limits, then a second to seek whether voters will allow Sunday sales of alcohol at local stores within the city limits during limited hours.

Petitions from local stores with hundreds of signatures provided Council member Judd Fee with a reason to now support the resolutions after previously stating he was against them. He said during the work session before the meeting began that he wished he had the signatures from the petitions during the July meetings when the resolutions failed to get a second and an up or down vote from the council.

An additional voice of support for the resolutions came from former Council member Hunter Spinks, who during public comments remembered previous times he had been involved with trying to get changes approved by voters. He said the ballot measures if approved this time around will be an overall positive for the City of Aragon.

“It brings money into Aragon that is right now going out of Aragon,” he said. “It doesn’t force anyone to buy anything, but it does force people to go somewhere else if they do want it. I like to spend my money in Aragon.”

He added that “some people say that you can just drive two miles down and get it. Well, that’s fine. But that’s money that’s not going to Aragon. That’s going to Rockmart.”

Joining the Council for the vote Wednesday evening was Council member Amy Causey, who won’t be seeking a new term in office. She had been absent from council meetings for a while, but came in for the meeting to give her approval for the measure.

The resolutions weren’t the only bit of business for the council on Wednesday evening. They also unanimously approved a pair of Code of Conduct and Workplace Harassment policies, the millage rate (more coming on that Friday -KtE) and a request to allow employees an off day for the Juneteenth holiday in 2022.

The Council also received a single bid on surplus property at 2 Walnut Street. Rosa Williams made a bid of $1,001.50 which was approved by the Council unanimously.

Resolutions to add the questions to the ballot are now on their way to the Board of Elections, who have to finalize the 2021 ballot by August 31.

Check back for more Aragon City Council news on Friday.