Officials quit tapdancing around issue: Dancing now allowed where beer is sold
Dwayne Doud said he is ready to put on his dancing shoes once again after aldermen voted to repeal laws that prevented people from dancing in places where beer was sold.
Accompanied by citizen supporters of repealing those restrictions Tuesday, Doud waited for the vote tally at city hall, where aldermen have formally considered the issue many times over the past two months.
A faint “yes” could be heard from the back of the room after members of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 4-2 to approve the ordinance lifting the restrictions on second reading.
Aldermen Patti Nunley and Rickey Minton, Vice Mayor Billy Wood and Mayor Royce Davenport voted yes, while Aldermen Jimmy Bonner and Rickey Jones voted no. Jones has said he feared saloons would pop up throughout town and said he could not morally support voting for it.
Officials have considered the issue four times on first and second reading due to a procedural error the first time it was considered.
Although it had previously received a 3-2 vote, officials said they learned the proposal did not technically pass because the vote tally did not reflect a majority of the board members present, according to state law.
That confused a local business owner, Bernadette Doud, who said she had invested money into a restaurant establishment called Bernie’s Karaoke Sports Grill, where beer and/or dancing is on the weekends.
“We’re glad that it was verified and that it passed,” she said Thursday.
Dwayne Doud, owner of Mobile Music Unlimited, a DJ service, personally thanked officials for repealing the restriction Tuesday after the meeting.
Supporter Walter Clark, 59, said after the meeting he appreciated the action, too. He said he showed up for the meeting to debunk theories that only the younger crowd likes to dance.
“People who want to have something to eat, dance, have a drink, instead of going out of town, can stay right here,” he added.
Officials also began the process of re-voting on a zoning issue on Walker Street from R-2 medium density residential to C-2 general commercial, which faced a similar lack of majority based on the “majority of members present” rule. It passed 4-2 on first reading Tuesday.