Alcohol sales head to vote 3rd time

Prairie Grove merchants want to make dry downtown wet

PRAIRIE GROVE — A group of downtown merchants hopes the saying “third time’s the charm” proves true as volunteers will once again seek enough signatures to place a question on the November election ballot to allow the sale of alcohol within all of the Prairie Grove city limits.

An area of the city limits — one square mile mainly in the downtown section — is dry because of a vote held Sept. 10, 1946, City Attorney Steven Parker said during a 2022 meeting. He said the legal sale of liquor was voted out 106-66 in a special election. Any areas annexed into the city after that election came in as allowing the sale of alcohol.

Local merchants and other interested residents have met twice this year to discuss whether to try to gather enough signatures for the 2024 general election, hire a consultant to do it or wait until 2026.

Jerry Coyle, a builder and developer with Coyle Enterprises, heads a nonprofit committee called Historic Prairie Grove Revitalization, which has tried twice and failed to get enough signatures to place the question on the ballot.

The first time, the committee tried to get enough signatures to place the issue on the November 2018 ballot, but it suspended the campaign because it ran out of time. The second time was an effort to make the 2020 ballot.

Speaking during a meeting April 3 at the American Legion building, Coyle said the committee is still registered with the Arkansas secretary of state’s office, and he volunteered to head up the committee again. The consensus from those at the meeting was to try to get signatures, and if it didn’t work, hire a canvassing company to place the question on the 2026 election ballot.

Coyle said local attorney John Everett, who completed legal work for the two other attempts, has volunteered again for that work.

The petition needed to be filed with the Washington County clerk’s office before canvassers could begin collecting signatures, according to Washington County Clerk Becky Lewallen. She said her office received a copy of the petition in the mail Tuesday.

Speaking during a meeting on March 27, Mayor David Faulk said to get the question on the ballot, the committee will have to turn in signatures from 38% of registered voters as of June 1 of this year. The city has 4,963 registered voters, according to the county clerk’s office. Based on that number, the committee will need 1,885 qualified signatures.

“The petitions only get it to the ballot, and that gives people the right to vote on whether it’s legal or not to sell alcohol,” Faulk said.

The committee needs to have its signatures turned in to the county clerk’s office by Aug. 7, which is 90 days before the election, according to Lewallen. The office then has 10 days to check them, and the committee will have five additional days to collect more signatures if needed, she said.

“The city cannot take a stand on this,” Faulk said during the March 27 meeting.

Faulk said he personally does not drink alcohol. However, as mayor he said he wants to be “the face of fair commerce for the city of Prairie Grove.”

Volunteer canvassers will have to verify registered voters signed their petitions and will have to get those petitions notarized. Canvassers do not have to register with the state.

The committee will meet again at 6:30 p.m. today at the American Legion building for an update. Coyle said he hoped to have petitions ready for canvassers at that time.