The Pittsboro board of aldermen unanimously approved an ordinance governing the sale of liquor in the county seat Monday night, but were forced to postpone any action on beer, possibly permanently.
Attorney Ben Suber explained that a review by the state Alcohol Beverage Control revealed the population exemption for county seats only applies for liquor.
“Based on conversations I’ve had, it appears the legislature’s intention was to do both, but they didn’t,” Suber said. “It appears it went unnoticed until Pittsboro’s election.”
The legislature changed the law in 2012 allowing any county seat to hold a referendum on alcohol if 20% of registered voters signed a petition in favor, regardless of population, but the change was not made to the state statute regarding beer. It still requires the town have a minimum population of 2,500.
“We’re going to explore everything possible to see what can be done,” Mayor Reda Bullard said.
Suber said he would search the statutes for anything else, but it’s most likely it will take legislative action for Pittsboro to become eligible for beer.
In the meantime, the board will proceed with legalizing the sale of liquor. The ordinance that was adopted Monday night will be printed in the newspaper and a certified copy will be sent to the state for approval.
The approval process is expected to take 30 days. At that time anyone wishing to open a package store in Pittsboro could apply for a permit from the state.