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i MINUTES OF THE ALCOHOL ON PUBLIC PROPERTY COMMITTEE May 18, 1992 The Alcohol on Public Property Committee met in special session, Monday May 18, 1992, Fairgrounds Exhibit Building, 5:30 P. M. to 7:00 P. M. Chairman Jim Bell, called the committee meeting to order with Councilman Billy Joe Burnett, and Councilwoman Millie Ingram present. Also present was City Clerk, Mattie Cunningham. Chairman Bell called upon Reverend 0. D. Robinson to give the invocation. Chairman Bell asked for a show of hands of those who attended the first public hearing. Chairman Bell explained that in late 1991 an item was placed on the agenda for the City Council meeting, that item was not requested by any of the City Councilmembers to his knowledge, but it did call for us to be considering the drafting and authorization to draft an ordinance to allow for the sale and consumption of alcohol on the Paris Fairgrounds. The City Council in that first meeting defeated that issue very quickly with a vote of 6 -1, there was no discussion. It was not the intention of the City Council at anytime to allow the sale of alcohol and not anytime to allow it to be consumed on the Fairgrounds out on the grounds, in fact what has happened over the past, since about 1943 or so when Paris was voted dry, the colissum and the buildings on the Fairgrounds have been leased out from time to time for private functions and for public fund raising functions in which alcohol has been consumed, and in fact, it was done so legally for many years, but several years ago an ordinance was passed in order to give the City additional enforcement means to prevent alcohol being consumed in public areas. That Ordinance does not go back forty years by any means, T. K. Haynes could not recall the date, the fact is that ordinance was passed, and as he began to explore that ordinance he realized that his interpretation would be that that ordinance would apply to the buildings on the Fairgrounds, and he called and asked that the item be placed on the agenda, again, the City Council was not in favor of allowing the sale or consumption on the Fairgrounds, or the sale of alcohol anywhere. The Council defeated the first item, asked that it be place back on the agenda for a later date, and at that time the Council had instructed the staff to bring back an ordinance that properly restrict the consumption of alcohol to inside buildings at times when other major events were not taking place, rodeos, fairs, basically to draft an ordinance, and it was fairly complicated, that would allow the people of Paris to do what they have been doing since the middle 1940's. It was the feeling of the Council at that time that we were drafting something, since it has been going on since the 1940's, that the people of the City of Paris did not object to. We found that to be wrong, and a number of people did object and came forth with a petition. That petition, according to City Charter, was duly and properly filed required the City Council to do one of two things, rescind the ordinance, and /or call a general election on that item. What we are here for tonight since the Council did rescind the ordinance, we are left with only one option at this point, and the