The voters spoke, the city council adopted the required amendment and restaurants with existing alcohol sales licenses can now serve alcohol by the glass in Fayetteville on Sundays in addition to the other six days of the week.

Voters Nov. 4 passed the local measure by a 58.35 percent to 41.65 percent margin. Adopted by the council Nov. 20, the amendment to the Alcohol Beverage Ordinance approved on-site consumption between the hours of 12:30 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Sundays.

The ordinance also has a distance requirement of 200 yards between businesses selling alcohol and residences situated outside the Main Street District. The ordinance amendment reduces that distance to 100 yards.

Such a reduction is consistent with the state law requiring a distance of 100 yards between such businesses and the nearest church, said City Manager Joe Morton. As with the state, Fayetteville has a 200-yard requirement for schools.

The amendment also allows for annual license fees to be prorated for those businesses licensed after Jan. 1 and for the annual license fee to be billed on an annual or semi-annual basis. “The city’s billing software does allow for billing on a semi-annual basis and we feel that this will help our businesses without adversely impacting the city’s cash flow,” Morton said.

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