Board ups limit to 600 ft. from church, school for beer sales
County supervisors met in a called session the day before Thanksgiving to modify the county ordinance relating to the sale of beer and light wine.
The original ordinance permitted sale of beer and light wine for retailers located 400 feet or more away from a church or school. However, supervisors modified the distance as it relates to Walthall County to 600 feet. The distance change carried the board on a 5-0 vote.
No reason was given for the change, but in examining locations in the county where the rule might have applied The Times discovered that Dexter’s Family Dollar Store is located across Hwy. 48 from Dexter Elementary School. Dexter Elementary is also directly north of Crystal Springs Baptist Church, separated by Dexter Road.
At 400 feet, the dollar store might just skirt the limit to prohibit sale, although the rule is unclear as to whether the limits are defined by property lines or physical structures, such as buildings. By supervisors extending the distance limit to 600 feet, the dollar store would likely be too close to the school to be able to sell beer or light wine under the revised proximity limit.
The only other store likely falling within the distance prohibiting beer sales would be Thomas Cash Store at Little Improve, located across a county road from Carson Springs Baptist Church.
Third district supervisor, Doug Popwell, told board members the store’s owner, Mike Thomas, had told him he did not intend to retail beer at the store, anyway.
The supervisors’ ordinance applies to beer sales within the county, outside the corporate limits of Tylertown.
Town aldermen are to take up an ordinance applying to sale of beer and alcohol within the city limits of Tylertown. While the town is expected to mirror much of the county ordinance, the town board will likely set different distance standards because the city falls under zoning regulations which apply to businesses operating within commercial zones. Aldermen are expected to take up proposed regulations this month.
