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MINUTES OF THE ALCOHOL ON PUBLIC PROPERTY COMMITTEE May 13, 1992 The Alcohol on Public Property Committee met in special session, Thursday, May 13, 1992, Thomas Justiss School, 402 N. W. 18th Street, 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 Ingram present. Also present was City Clerk, Mattie Cunningham. Lane Park, Minister of Outreach for First Baptist Church, gave the invocation. Before the public hearing was opened, Chairman Bell discussed the rules and procedures of the public hearing. Chairman Bell explained that in November of last year an issue was placed on the City Council Agenda that called for the allowing or changing the ordinance to allow the sale and consumption of alcohol at the Fairgrounds. The item that was on the agenda would allow the sale and consumption of alcohol at the Fairgrounds, and it was the authorization to prepare an ordinance. The Council was not sure at that time why the item was on the agenda, it was not placed there by any of the Councilmen, it was brought to our attention by a member of the City Staff. The Council was very quick to respond to that ordinance in the preparation of an ordinance in that we did not wish to allow the sale of alcohol on the Fairgrounds, and the Council voted that issue down that night with a number of people that appeared with a 6 -1 vote. Chairman Bell said it was never the intention of the Council to allow the sale of alcohol anywhere. In consultation with City Staff, we then asked as a Council, why was the item place on the agenda. The City of Paris in the 1940's after an incident here, voted this community dry, and it has been dry ever since. It is under the laws of the State of Texas that allows consumption of alcohol within the City under special circumstances. Since the City voted dry for almost fifty years the buildings at the Fairgrounds have had functions in them which alcohol has been consumed. There has not been any major objections that we can document over that time, and in fact, we can not document directly related to those buildings being used in which aiconoi was servea in tnem, that would be consider a me or should not be consumed t not document the date, but changed in the City of Par the consumption of alcohol ordinance, the City Attorne, and a number of occasion! consumption of alcohol, he years ago to say wait a min we do wish to consume alcol because that ordinance does requested the Council's opir in February in which we r feeling that the point tha the Fairground inside those we can not aocument any spec1T1c inciaent-s jor nature on whether or not alcohol should ere. The City Attorney is not sure, he did a number of years ago some ordinances were is. They were changed to further restrict vithin the City, and when they changed that , even though it has been a number of year, , the buildings have been used for the interpreted that ordinance passed several ite, we went too far with that ordinance, if of inside the buildings at the Fairgrounds restrict it. He is the staff member that ion. When the item came before the Council asked the ordinance, it was the Council's for fifty years we had allowed events at buildings, fund raisers or private parties