Noel To Crack Down On Alcohol Sales Violations

Noel Ci ty Council members on Tuesday night added more teeth to an existing ordinance that will enable the marshal’s office to better hold violators of alcoholic liquor sales accountable.

City council members approved amendments to two existing ordinances: Bill 20-103 — Revocation of License and Bill 20-104 — adding to Section 600 Alcoholic Beverages.

Both amendments were approved on first and second readings. The second amendment, in particular, addresses problems brought to the attention of the city council in last month’s meeting. That amendment includes adding a section of regulations and adopting a state statute.

Marshal Randy Wilson asked city council members last month for their help in holding people accountable who host parties without a liquor license. Other issues have arisen as well, including hosting too many people at a gathering with no covid-19 restrictions in place.

Wilson and two deputies recently broke up a party of some 300 people, some of whom were reportedly underage and some that were apparently doing drugs. Wilson said last month he wanted to address this before it becomes a reoccurring problem.

In other business, Noel City Council members discussed placing a trailer in a particular neighborhood, despite the comments of neighbors close by.

One resident who spoke out said several are trying to clean up the neighborhood and placing a trailer house next to the road will not help matters.

Adding trailers is not part of the city’s plan going forward, said Mayor Lewis Davis.

“I would like to have not seen it there but it’s legal,” Davis said. “It’s plotted in as part of the statute.”

The matter has been addressed with legal counsel, and the section is part of the RV Park. Neighbors say the mobile home will be located next to a highway and will be an eyesore.

City officials are committed to making Noel look better, according to Davis, but the city lacks funds to make an impact right now.

“When we condemn a place, we have to have the money to bulldoze it,” he said. The city is lacking the funds, which Davis attributes to not having a property tax in place.

“We tried to get a property tax passed by the voters,” he said. “Every time we put in on the ballot, it costs us $ 1,500 to $ 1,800, and then it gets shot down.”

City residents do not pay any type of property tax, he said. Doing so would help provide extra income for the city’s coffers, according to Lewis.

Other business included:

• Davis said the council appreciates all the recent work the Noel Betterment Association has completed, including new sidewalks and other beautification efforts.

• Scrapping the idea for an ordinance for all- terrain vehicles on local roads. The city’s legal counsel said the ordinance would be more of a liability to the city and cost a great deal, Davis said. Councilmember Reid Schmit made the motion to deny an ordinance for such.

• Members approved the 2020-21 budget, as well as the auditor’s report.

• Heard reports from Wilson that the marshal’s office has handled 1,838 cases to date, including about a dozen arrests in the last month. Several meth dealers have been arrested, he said. The office also was recently awarded a grant to fund four radar units and three portable radios with mics.

• Heard numbers from Fire Chief Brandon Barrett that the department handled two structure fires, three brush fires, eight vehicle incidents and a service call. He reported that the department is shorthanded and down to about seven or eight firefighters.