FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Supporters of a plan to take the issue of Sunday alcohol sales before Fayetteville's voters submitted signatures at the City Clerk's Office on May 2.
They say they are hoping to use Sunday alcohol sales to keep revenue from going to nearby communities that have already legalized Sunday sales.
"I think there's a real understanding that we are losing real tax dollars to other communities when folks have to travel out of town to make those purchases," Keaton Smith with Keep Our Dollars in Fayetteville Committee said.
Nine of the 22 cities that have approved Sunday sales are in Northwest Arkansas. If approved in Fayetteville, it will be the biggest city in the state selling alcohol on Sundays.
In March, Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control (AABC) said, "Bentonville, Springdale, and Rogers have all passed and implemented Sunday sales. We always thought it was just a matter of time until Fayetteville pursued this."
Democratic State Rep. Denise Garner, who is heading the Fayetteville initiative, said in April that the city loses tens of thousands of dollars each week to neighboring communities when residents buy there.
"This is a win-win for everyone," she said. "This doesn't have anything to do with making liquor more accessible or any issues with alcoholism or drunk driving. There's no data that shows that any of that happens with Sunday sales. The issue is economics, and we want to make sure that those dollars stay in Fayetteville."
Despite submitting the signatures, there hasn't been any confirmation that the issue has made it onto November's Ballot.
5NEWS will update this story as more information becomes available.
April report:
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