(Borrowed from Daily Mississippian/January 23, 2011)The Board of Aldermen approved the proposal for the request of occasional sale of alcohol on certain Sundays in the city of Oxford between the hours of 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Mayor Pat Patterson said that sometime in the next few weeks he will be going to Jackson to meet with the State Tax Commission and seek permission for those exceptions.
The approval was a 4-3 decision at the regularly scheduled December 7, 2010, meeting.
The said Sundays would be Mother’s Day (May 8), Father’s Day (June 19), Valentine’s Day when on a Sunday and after every Ole Miss home football game. Sales would be limited to these nine or possibly ten Sundays out of the year.
The proposal to sell beer in grocery stores and convenience stores on Sundays was declined at the January 4 meeting.
Oxford Police Chief Mike Martin said that he does not expect the approval to change things too drastically.
“I do not expect it will be as busy as a Friday or Saturday night, but I expect it to be a lot more reserved,” Martin said. “The times that the board is requesting to be allowed to serve are normally busy weekends anyway, so I don’t believe it will add that much more to what we have to deal with.”
Scott Michael, owner and founder of Rooster’s Blues House, said he thinks the approval of the decision is beneficial for Oxford and his business.
“With 18 restaurants closing in the past year, the city could use the revenue from sales on Sunday,” said Michael.
Michael said he believes that families would be more willing to stay the entire weekend and this would generate more revenue that we need to embrace.
The Board of Aldermen has been considering the approval of Sunday sales for several months and has investigated different options to satisfy both sides of issue.
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