BELTON, Texas — Andrea Shaw and over ten other local business owners are advocating for Proposition A in the City of Belton.
The petition seeks to expand current alcohol sales to include fine wine, package stores and create unified alcohol sales rules throughout the city.
In order to get Prop A on the ballot, Shaw had to received 2,000 signatures of people who were in support of the proposition. Once they garnered those signatures and sent them to City Clerk Amy Casey, the proposition was able to be included in the ballot.
"It wasn't until my husband and I sold a property when we found out about the non-alcoholic sales," Shaw explained. "A client called and said they couldn't sale alcohol. When we checked with the city, that was actually true."
Shaw says the patch work on alcohol sales is crazy because in one place you can sale alcohol but just feet away, you cannot.
According to the Texas Petitions Strategies, Belton is partially "wet" for beer and wine for off-premise consumption and mixed beverage sales in restaurants. Parts of Belton are "dry" for the sale of fine wine and spirits (all) as well as on premise sales (bars) and some parts are still "dry" for any type of alcohol sales (areas annexed after the November elections).
The hope for some Belton residents is that the entire city will have no alcohol restrictions and business will have the chance to fully thrive.
"We're trying to make it one set of rules for all," Shaw added. "It's not about the alcohol. It's about the remedy for the city the tax dollars. We are sending people to Temple, Harker Heights, or Killeen to purchase their alcohol or go to a restaurant that serves mixed drinks. We want our small businesses here to do that."
Economically, Shaw believes may businesses shy away from building in Belton because of the restrictions causing tax dollars to go elsewhere.
For local restaurants and bars, Napoli's Italian Bistro owner Arblor Shala told 6 News his restaurant is not under any alcohol restrictions. But for other restaurant owners who may not have that luxury, it's not far for them.
"I would like for everything to be equal so those business owners will have a chance to make money," Shala said.
If the proposition passes, the sale of all alcoholic beverages, including distilled spirits or liquor, will be legal in Belton. This legalization will take effect at the time the results of the election are officially canvassed.
Through zoning requirements and other considerations, the City Council has the ability to control the location of businesses whose alcohol sales are 50% or greater of their total sales.
Here is more information on when and where to vote in Belton:
Early Voting
City Hall (Conference Room) | 333 Water St.
April 22-26, 2024 | (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
April 29-30, 2024 | (7 a.m. - 7 p.m.)
Election Day
Harris Community Center | 401 N. Alexander St.
May 4, 2024 | (7 a.m. - 7 p.m.)