By Andrew Edwards
Elmore/Autauga Staff Writer
If you’re planning on attending the Autauga County Commission meeting this upcoming Tuesday at 5 p.m., prepare to see the topic of Sunday alcohol sales on the agenda once again.
For the third meeting in a row, District 5 Commissioner Larry Stoudemire will sponsor his ordinance that would see the sale of alcohol in unincorporated parts of Autauga County on Sundays.
Prattville, an incorporated part of Autauga County, began allowing on-premise Sunday alcohol sales nearly 10 years ago. They added off premise selling for retail outlets two years ago.
The frustration that comes with the ordinance, which has failed to pass based on a 3-2 decision the last two meetings, has started to catch up to Stoudemire.
“I want a fair playing ground for Autauga County. You can buy alcohol any day of the week in Dallas and Montgomery Counties. It may not bring in a huge amount of revenue, but it will get some,” Stoudemire said.
The commissioner went on the explain that it wasn’t necessarily about the revenue that it will create, but rather people’s ability to make the choice for themselves.
“I don’t think it’s right to control how people spend their money. I mean, times have changed – and we have to change with those times,” Stoudemire said.
District 2 Commissioner John Thrailkill is one who is opposed to the ordinance. He believes the revenue generated will not make a significant impact on the county.
“We’ve never had Sunday alcohol sales in the history of Autauga County. I want to stay in line with what they’ve had in place until this point,” Thrailkill said. “I’m not convinced there will be any sort of economic increase from the Sunday sales.”
District 3 Commissioner Bill Tatum says that people in his area are opposed, therefore, he is too.
“I went to my district and asked over 100 people and 75 percent said, no, they don’t want it. I’m elected by the people and I want to be their voice for the district,” Tatum said.
When calculating how much the county made off of alcohol over the last year, it’s important to bring several figures into account, says County Administrator, Scott Kramer.
Kramer explained that there are two sources of revenue to be considered – liquor sales revenue and sales tax revenue.
The first is liquor sales revenue. The county collected $188,000 in liquor sales revenue in the last 12 months. That’s based on sales of every day of the year within the City of Prattville and every day except Sundays outside the City but within the County.
There’s also sales tax revenue. The County Commission receives half of 1 percent in sales tax.
For example, $150,000 in sales generates $750 in sales tax revenue for the county annually.
“Numbers that low don’t justify us in pursing this ordinance,” Thrailkill said.
Regardless, Stoudemire says the he believes the ordinance shouldn’t be dictated by what he believes is a minority of people.
“We’re all supposed to be here to represent the entire county, not to just listen to a few people. I’ve talked to plenty of people who do want it – people who have the same vision as me,” Stoudemire said.
Autauga County Commission meetings are held at 5:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at 135 N. Court Street in Downtown Prattville.
