In its second attempt, the City of Magnolia recently filed a petition for a local option election which would include a liquor sale option on the November ballot.

The ballot would include a proposition which would legalize the sale of all alcoholic beverages, including mixed beverages, in the City of Magnolia. Currently, within the city limits the sale of beer and wine is legal.

However, 4A Economic Development Corporation member Jonny Williams previously stated that the city is missing out on sales tax from liquor because residents simply drive just outside of Magnolia to purchase it. He added that the need for sales of all alcoholic beverages to be legal was not about alcohol, but about the sales tax revenues.

In order to place the proposition on the ballot, the City of Magnolia would need 35 percent of the number of people who voted in the last governor’s election to sign a petition, according to Montgomery County Elections Administrator Carol Gaultney. She said that 35 percent would equal 126 signatures from registered voters in Magnolia.

In May the City of Magnolia held a petition to include a liquor sales option on the May 14 ballot. But according to Gaultney, the petition failed due to a lack of qualified signatures.

City Administrator Paul Mendes said that although the petition failed in May the city did get a positive response from residents.

“We do know now that it is a worthwhile project,” he said.

Mendes said city council planned to begin the petitioning procedures again during the summer in order to have all requirements met for the November elections.

City council did begin petitioning procedures as planned and received the correct number of qualified signatures, according to Gaultney.

At its regular meeting on Aug. 9, city council voted to hold a joint election with Montgomery County and all participating entities for the Nov. 8 joint election.

On Aug. 22 the Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court unanimously accepted the submission of sufficient qualified signatures on the petition for the local option election. The court also approved the ordering of a Nov. 8 election to legalize “the legal sale of all alcoholic beverages, including mixed beverages” in the City of Magnolia.

The Commissioner’s Court will soon begin designating polling locations and early voting times for the Nov. 8 joint election.

For more information, visit mctx.org.

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