Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Texas Voters Opt To Expand Liquor Sales



(by Shanken News Daily) Texas, the second-largest U.S. drinks market despite more than 20 dry counties within its borders, continues to liberalize its liquor sales laws in a big way. In results updated Wednesday, Texas voters passed 13 ballot initiatives to allow and/or extend alcohol sales in 11 previously dry or damp Texas cities. The vote represented a 100% passage rate for alcohol initiatives on the ballot.

The 13 ballot initiatives covered the 11 cities of Bartonville, Kyle, Muenster, Hudson Oaks, Rusk, Pantego, Mineral Wells, Heath, Knox City, Ferris and Saginaw. (Two cities, Ferris and Saginaw, each had two separate alcohol initiatives covering the on- and off-premise, bringing the total number of initiatives to 13.)

Kyle, Muenster and Hudson Oaks voted to liberalize alcohol sales in all forms. Bartonville, Rusk, Pantego and Mineral Wells voted to allow sales of all alcohol types in the off-premise only, while Heath and Knox City voted to allow beer and wine sales in the off-premise only. Ferris and Saginaw both voted to allow beer and wine sales in the off-premise and all alcohol for restaurants.

The vote means that municipalities like Knox City (population 1,200) will now be able to legally sell beer and wine for the first time since Prohibition, as well as extend all beverage alcohol sales to newly annexed areas of “wet” cities such as Cooke County’s city of Muenster.

Many Texas beverage alcohol laws are consistent statewide, but the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Code allows citizens to determine what types of beverages may be sold and where. Local option elections set liquor sales policy for counties, cities and even specific precincts.

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