1957 - 07-03-57 Spec. Adj. Meeting

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, MINUTES OF SPECIAL ADJOURNED MEETING OF BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS s July 3, 1957 • The Board of Commissioners of Lee County met in the Commissioner Ts Room at the Courthouse in special adjourned, session on Wednesday, July 3, 1957, at 10:00 o'clock A. M. , pursuant to moon of adjournmentrthe regular monthly meeting held on July 1, 1957P/file following members of the Board viseete present for dispatch of business: Commissioners Percy Measamer, J. M. Cheshire, Evander Winstead, Clyde4J. Atkins, and Sion H. Kelly. The meeting was opened with prayer by the Rev. John D. S e,—Pastor of Jonesboro Baptist Church. Chairman Percy Measamer presided and the following business was transacted. 'The Chairman explained the purpose of the meeting, stating that the meeting had been called for the purpose of considering and passing upon a petition submitted by I. J. Morris and other tax payers of Lee County requesting the Board of County Commissioners to call an election for Lee County and at said election submit' to the voters of the County the proposition as to whether or not Alcoholic Beverage Control Stores should be established and Alcoholic Beverages legally sold in Lee County, whether or not beer should legally be sold in Lee County, and whether or not wine should be legally sold in Lee County. The Chairman then read the following statement, to-:wit: "I am advised by our County Attorney that official action on ABC Store- beer and wine petition must be indefinitely postponed due to the fact that he has discovered that a new requirement for the calling of beer and wine elections was incorporated in the enabling legislation enacted during the 1957 Session of the General Assembly. Mr. Staton has informed me that the ommission of seven words from the Special Act of the Legislature completely changed the petition requirements and in fairness to both the proponents and the opponents of the issue, all the petitions are being returned to advocates of the election. " Our Attorney informs me that the words omitted from the Special Act setting forth the requirements for calling a beer and wine election make it manditory at that the petition shall contain "15 per cent of the registered qualified voters" instead of "15 per cent of the voters that voted for Governor in the last election". I credit his alertness in discovering this requirement with saving this Board considerable embarrassment and the County the cost of an election which could not be conclusive if the election had been called on the petition submitted to us. "Mr. Staton has advised that a valid petition must contain the names of 15 per cent of the registered qualified voters of Lee County, and in view of thefact that the proponents of the election were proceeding under the assumption that 15 per cent of the voters casting ballots for Governor in the last election was sufficient, as has been the case in all previous elections conducted under the State Statute, I am informing the petitioners that they must omply with the Special Lee County Act rather than follow the State wide act, " There is nothing wrong with the Lee County Act, according to Mr. Staton, but the omission of the requirement that a valid petition contain the signature of 15 per cent of those who voted for Governor in the last election simply means that the election proponents must submit a petition containing 15 per cent of the registered qualified voters of the County. In fairness to all concerned, I