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The Magnolia City Council passed an ordinance at its regular Monday night meeting to create a recreation district in downtown Magnolia.
Local residents have the opportunity to speak first. Larry Talley, Elvis Griffin, Devin Keith and Jeffrey Cheatham opposed the ordinance, while Kimberly Jones supported it.
After hearing the public comments, Mayor Parnell Vann said, “I’ve been listening to the public for the past five months. I’ve heard things like greed. I’ve read things like ‘follow the money’, stuff like that, and stuff that bothers me a lot, ‘Some members of this committee can’t be trusted.’”
Outlining how the city’s taxes are broken down, Vann expressed support for council members and said he’s always open to discussing issues around city decision-making, while expressing disappointment that local residents said their voices weren’t being heard.
“I hold town halls and public forums Monday through Friday, 8 to 5. You are always welcome,” he said. “Everyone here works for you. I spoke to a wonderful lady on Friday for 58 minutes and 27 seconds. I said, why doesn’t anyone come to see me or call me? She said they were scared. I couldn’t Imagine. No reason. I work for you. Love me or hate me. I still love you. We’ll get through this too.”
The ordinance was read a third time after Fine’s comments.
City Councilman Jamie Waller said: “We had a lot of discussions about this, and we also listened to both sides. You know, I like to see the room full of people. I hope we can be in every council meeting. In doing so, I hope to get feedback on everything we do, because we genuinely listen to you, and this can be seen in the fact that we’ve adjusted the regulation based on the feedback we’ve received.”
The ordinance, originally proposed by Ellie Baker, the city’s executive director of economic development, allows licensed businesses to serve alcoholic beverages to customers in regulated cups that can be carried throughout the district and at any business participating in the district.
Baker said she believes the entertainment district will help make downtown more welcoming to tourists. Magnolia Police Chief Todd Dew has also previously expressed support for the idea, saying he plans to have more officers on the plaza and may add additional surveillance to the area.
The original draft of the ordinance was read and discussed at the city council meeting in January, but faced some opposition. Some residents expressed concern about increased noise and trash and the potential for increased crime. Revised in February to address some issues.
Amended ordinances change operating hours for entertainment areas.The original draft allowed school districts to operate Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The revised ordinance limits hours to Thursday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m.
Special exceptions to the time can be made through exception proposals approved by Vann and Dew, although Vann said he would not make an exception on Sunday.
While alcohol is allowed, public intoxication remains illegal and carries a fine of $150 for the first public intoxication and up to $1,000 for the fourth.
Councilors Kelli Souter, Jeff White, Jamie Waller, James Jefferson and Steve Nipper voted in favor of the ordinance, while Tia Wesson, David Sisson and Beau Pettit voted against it.
According to City Attorney Jennifer McKendry, the ordinance will take effect 31 days after it is published.
The next City Council meeting is scheduled for June 19th at 5pm
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