Landrum residents will have their chance tomorrow to voice opinions on whether the city should call for a referendum to allow restaurants to sell alcohol on Sundays.
Landrum City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing tomorrow, Tuesday, April 12, at 6 p.m. at city hall.
City council last month began steps to consider placing a referendum on this year’s November ballot to allow restaurants to sell alcohol on Sundays. If the referendum is approved, only restaurants would be allowed to sell alcohol, and those sales would be allowed only in house. No carry- out alcohol sales would be allowed, such as from grocery or convenience stores.
Landrum City Council met Tuesday, March 8 and approved the first reading of an ordinance to call for a referendum on this November’s election ballot.
Councilman Randy Wohnig was the only council member to vote against the ordinance.
Landrum Mayor Bob Briggs said the city had a meeting with Landrum area businesses in January and one point made by businesses was that not being able to serve alcohol on Sunday hurts business.
Most Landrum restaurants are currently not open on Sunday. Briggs said business owners told him when they were open on Sunday, many patrons would leave and go to Tryon when they found out Landrum doesn’t allow alcohol to be served on Sundays.
Briggs said council feels it’s not their decision to make, but wants to present the question to the voters to decide.
If the second reading of the ordinance is approved, the city will call for a referendum to determine whether the South Carolina Department of Revenue may issue temporary permits to allow for the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption on Sundays in the City of Landrum.
The wording of the question currently proposed to go on the ballot says, “Shall the South Carolina Department of Revenue be authorized to issue temporary permits in this city for a period not to exceed 24 hours to allow the possession, sale and consumption of alcoholic liquors by the drink to bona fide nonprofit organizations and restaurant establishments otherwise authorized to be licensed for consumption-on-premise sales?”
This year’s election will be held on Nov. 8.