At a special called meeting of the Leitchfield City Council on Friday afternoon, council members voted on the first reading of an ordinance allowing the sale of alcohol on election day.
The sale of alcohol on election day had been prohibited until the Kentucky General Assembly bestowed local government the power to determine the legality of selling alcohol during voting hours (6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.).
Kentucky Revised Statute 244.290 states:
(1) (a) A licensee authorized to sell distilled spirits or wine at retail shall be permitted to sell and deliver distilled spirits and wine during the hours the polls are open on any primary, or regular, local option, or special election day unless it is located where the legislative body of a city, urban-county government, consolidated local government, charter county government, unified local government, or the fiscal court of a county adopts an ordinance after June 25, 2013, that prohibits the sale of distilled spirits and wine or limits the hours and times in which distilled spirits and wine may be sold within its jurisdictional boundaries on any primary, or regular, local option, or special election day during the hours the polls are open.
In a 4-1 vote (councilmember Rick Embry abstained, Margie Decker voted nay), the council approved the first reading of the ordinance. The city council will vote on the second and final reading of the ordinance at Monday night’s regular Leitchfield City Council meeting.
Also at Friday’s meeting, council members, along with Leitchfield Police Chief Bryan Langdon and Public Works Director Sheila Puckett, entered an executive session for approximately 30 minutes. Mayor William Thomason said after the session that officials discussed a significant property purchase. He did not elaborate on the private discussion, but did say more information on the potential purchase would be discussed at Monday night’s meeting.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
