A public hearing on reversing stricter rules on beer sales in the city approved in 2008 remains on Mayor Paul Winfield’s agenda, but he said it won’t happen until after the first of the new year.

“It’s just a matter or practicality — what can we get done in this short period of time,” explained Winfield earlier this week. “People have to be educated on this, and I don’t think over the holiday season anybody is going to give this issue the attention it deserves.”

Winfield first voiced his support of a public hearing on the beer sales restrictions in early October during a public meeting with resident Tommie Rawlings, who urged the board to repeal rules restricting beer and light wine sales between the hours of 2 and 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 2 and 11 a.m. Sundays. Along with the restriction on sales hours, Rawlings also objected to the elimination of single beer sales from ice chests.

“For me, this is really all about the flag, freedom and democracy. If I’m living in the confines of the law, I should be able to buy beer whenever I want,” said Rawlings, who also argued the city is losing out on much-need sales tax revenue to Louisiana and the county during late-night hours. 

Rawlings submitted a petition with roughly 100 signatures of residents and business owners in favor of overturning the sales restrictions to the city clerk’s office on Nov. 5.

“I could have gotten 2,500 names on it. In reality, there wasn’t more than three hours of work done on getting the signatures,” said Rawlings, who added he’s disappointed the board will not address the issue before next year. “When they do hold the hearing, I want them to do it at 6 or 7 o’clock at night — not at 10 a.m. when everyone is working — so they can hear from all the business owners who have been affected.”

The 2008 ordinance was requested by former Police Chief Tommy Moffett and Deputy Chief Richard O’Bannon, who presented 2007 statistics that related late-night drinking and loitering to an increase in crimes such as DUIs, fights and homicides. Police Chief Walter Armstrong — whom the board selected to replace Moffett in June by a 2-1 vote — has said he does not believe repealing the sales restrictions would lead to an increase in crime.

Winfield said he did not agree with the ordinance when it was passed, and feels the bigger problem is late-night loitering at convenience stores. He said that can be curtailed by convenience stores taking a more active role in keeping their parking lots clear of loiterers. He called the ordinance a “soft law” that adversely affects everyone in order to address a problem among a small portion of the Vicksburg population. 

“If we look at our community, we have five casinos offering free beer 24 hours a day. We also have establishments in our city that have resort status and can serve liquor or beer or wine 24 hours a day,” he said. “It’s not a moral issue; it’s an issue of making laws that are just.”

South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman and North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield both voted in favor of the tighter sales rules in 2008, along with former Mayor Laurence Leyens. Beauman said Monday he will not vote to overturn the restrictions regardless of a public hearing.

“I did my homework when we passed the ordinance; it wasn’t a moral issue. It was based on crime statistics, and I haven’t changed my opinion,” Beauman said. “We haven’t had the problems at Clay (Street) and Mission (66), Clay and Cherry (streets) or Belmont and Drummond (streets) that we had before.”

According to year-to-date E-911 dispatch records through mid-October, calls to police for cleared lots and disturbances at those three intersections have fallen from 185 in 2008 to 70 in 2009. There were 192 calls in 2007 for cleared lots and disturbances at the intersections. Armed robbery reports at the intersections fell to zero this year from four in 2008. Two armed robberies were reported at the intersections in 2007.

Mayfield will likely be put in a position to cast the deciding vote on the issue. He said he’s yet to be convinced the ordinance needs to be overturned, but added he’s willing to hear all the arguments.

“To this point, I haven’t found anything or heard anything from anybody that had made me change my mind on the vote I made” in 2008, Mayfield said. “I definitely want a public hearing because I think you always have to listen to what the people are saying and how they’re affected by this.”

One of a handful of convenience store owners who signed Rawlings’ petition was William Bowman, who has owned and operated J&B Variety Store and Topsie’s Liquor Store at 3512 N. Washington Street for 34 years. 

“The sales in the mornings, especially on Sundays, are down considerably — most people go out to the county instead,” Bowman said.

Bowman said the elimination of ice chest sales has affected sales more than the hours restrictions, as he has always closed at 10:30 p.m. Though customers can still purchase single beers from his coolers, Bowman said they don’t make as many impulse purchases as they did when ice chests full of beer stood at the front of his store.

“It’s a psychological thing,” Bowman said, estimating total beer sales are down 10 to 15 percent at his convenience store.

Kenny Patel, who operates the Suds N’ Smokes convenience store at 3114 Halls Ferry Road owned by his father, Mike, said his beer sales have also been negatively affected by the sales restrictions. He also signed Rawlings’ petition.

“I’m selling a lot of beer,” Patel said. “But if they allowed the 24-hour sales again I’d be selling a whole lot more.”

State law through the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control limits the hours of liquor stores, which do not sell beer, from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and does not allow the stores to operate on Sundays.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com