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City, GISD halt plans to extend alcohol sales ban zone

Fri, 09/23/2016 - 2:27 pm
newsdesk@grahamleader.com

Discussion of an ordinance to prohibit alcohol sales within 1,000 feet of the borders of any Graham ISD campus came to a halt Thursday after the city found it didn’t have the authority to do so. City Manager Brandon Anderson approached GISD to get an ordinance passed prior to the November off-premise sales election that will determine if stores can sell beer and wine in the city. Off-premise sales happen mostly at grocery and convenience stores, where the alcohol purchased cannot be consumed. The state’s Alcoholic Beverage Code already forbids such sales within 300 feet of any school campus, but with information he received from the Texas Municipal League, Anderson thought that distance could be increased. TML’s information said the council could extend the alcohol sales ban to 1,000 feet, if the school board asked the city to do so. Anderson presented the ordinance idea to the school board Sept. 14, recommending the larger radius, and the board approved that idea. After the extension had been approved by GISD, local supporters of the alcohol measure spoke out on Facebook. John Hatch from Texas Petition Strategies, who is leading the pro-alcohol stance in Graham, said that the city was not eligible to pass such an ordinance. “I contacted him (Hatch) because there was a little bit of discussion on the really factual information source called Facebook,” Anderson said. “But it was, in this case, good (because) it pointed out that we don’t have that ability. We are not a town with a population of 900,000 or more, so the 1,000-foot regulation is not something we can enforce locally.” The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code states cities have to have at least 900,000 residents to pass a 1,000-foot ordinance. For the rest of this story, pick up a copy of Saturday's Graham Leader, or subscribe to our online edition.