Blog Post 4
Garrett Thrash
4/24/2022
PS 101
Dr. Jenkins
Blog Post 4
Like many other small rural towns in Alabama, the sale of alcohol has been long prohibited due to the deeply Christian religious values found in the town of Rainsville. With most of northern Alabama belonging to a religious region known as the Bible belt because of the vast number of churches that are spread throughout the region. For example, in my hometown of a little over 1000 people there are a total of ten churches with at least two or three representing different denominations. The faith of the citizens has long prevented the ordinance granting businesses in the town the right to sale alcohol to pass with a majority vote. The most recent time that alcohol was put on the election ballot to vote on was in 2014 when it was 24 votes shy of passing. However, with the newer generations trending away from traditional religious values the idea of the passage of the ordinance grew as they reached voting age.
In 2020, the city council voted to put the decision on the ballot again as a chance to raise more funds for the school system and road departments. Most of the citizens were in favor of the sale of alcohol in the city to generate more income and stimulate economic growth from the tax the city would apply to the alcohol. On the other hand, many deeply religious citizens from the older generations voiced their opinion that the sale of alcohol would bring more crime, such as DUIs and domestic violence cases to the town. They thought that idea of having to drive farther to buy alcohol would dampen the temptation of those who wanted to drink. Some of the religious leaders in the areas had a different point of view. They acknowledged that people with drinking problems would drive as far as they needed to get their alcohol, so the sale of alcohol in the area would shorten the drive-in turn lessening the risk of injuring someone if they were driving under the influence. Others in the area were for the sale of alcohol because the people who wanted to drink were going to buy their alcohol regardless of how far they had to drive, so the income from alcohol tax dollars might as well stay within county lines.
Another important aspect that would have to be included in the ordinance is where the money generated from the alcohol tax needed to go. Most of the citizens agreed that most of the money needed to go to the school since rural schools do not receive much state funding. Others also thought the money should go into infrastructure since many of the roads in the area were still chert rock or dirt roads. Many of the council members agreed with the citizens and pledge to put the money into both the school and the infrastructure if the bill were to ever pass. When the council voted to put the decision on the ballot in early 2020, it was postponed for nearly a year due to Covid outbreaks throughout the small town. In March of 2021, an overwhelming majority of the town voted to pass the ordinance allowing for the legal sale of alcohol by businesses in the area. However, there were limitations in the ordinance that allowed the local government to determine who was able to receive a permit to sell alcohol through the fire department, police department, and the local health and safety unit. This prevented most businesses from obtaining the permit to sale alcohol and has created an uproar in the community to this day.
The voters and citizens of the area have a simple solution to the problem when the next election day comes. The corruption exposed by the alcohol ordinances fueled many people of the younger generations to run for office to get the people who have been mayor and councilmembers for years out of office for good. Most of the community will back the people running against the corruption since the council acted against most of the citizens by adding all the limitations to the statute previously voted on. The citizens should also file lawsuits against the council members since they violated their rights by not abiding by the majorities vote. With elections coming up in November of this year, the town council already knows their fate and granted all businesses that applied for an alcohol permit what they wanted. Now the school will be able to generate funding to provide the students with the education they need as well as safer roads for the entire community.
References
https://southerntorch.com/main-slider/legal-alcohol-sales-in-rainsville/