An alcoholic beverage ordinance adopted a year ago in McDonough on a trial basis has been made permanent.
The City Council voted Jan. 18 to approve the ordinance, which was set to expire at the end of January, and remove the sunset provision that was previously in place.

The ordinance allows licensed merchants to sell alcoholic beverages that are poured into special cups provided by the city’s Main Street program. Consumers are then allowed to leave that business and carry the drink within a designated right-of-way in the downtown entertainment district.

The measure was originally passed for a one-year trial run to see if it worked to the satisfaction of merchants and city officials. Enough of them agreed that it has been working as they hoped, so a motion was requested by Mayor Sandra Vincent to make the ordinance permanent. The vote was 4-2, with Vanessa Thomas and Scott Reeves voting in opposition. Benjamin Pruett was not in attendance at the meeting.

In other business, a request was made by McDonough Fire Department officials to approve the SPLOST-funded purchase of a new pumper truck at $438,000 and a new 100-foot platform ladder truck at $1.366 million. The council approved the request 5-0-1 with Thomas abstaining.

The old equipment being replaced, a 2001 pumper and a 2004 ladder truck, were moved to reserve status. Officials noted that both vehicles were well past time for replacement.

The council voted 6-0 to approve a 90-day extension of a moratorium regarding final improvement of any land development projects that require connection to the city’s water system, with the caveat that a waiver can be granted under certain circumstances.

The moratorium was originally adopted in October of 2020 amid concerns by city officials about the capacity of the water system, and it was amended twice in 2021. As a result of those changes, any one property owner can be granted two waivers for the construction of a single structure containing fewer than 3,000 square feet.

Mayor Vincent recommended that the moratorium be extended for a short period to allow for the completion of the final report regarding the water system.

Near the conclusion of the meeting, after an executive session was convened, the council moved to terminate the previous employment contract for interim city clerk Christy Taylor and appoint her as the regular city clerk effective immediately. Taylor was contracted in October of last year to fulfill the duties of the office upon the retirement of longtime city clerk Janis Price. The motion included a provision that Taylor’s salary be determined at the next council meeting. The vote to approve the appoint of Taylor was 6-0.