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| County line delays wet/dry vote Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Carolea Hassard A local preacher’s effort has effectively delayed a vote on selling alcohol in Springtown. But what he found could affect other elections Parker County has held for Springtown in previous years.
Hal Kinkeade, pastor of First Baptist Church, discovered that Springtown’s city limits extend into Wise County. That means two recent ballot petitions for alcohol sales are null and void even though supporters had gathered enough signatures to get them on the May ballot.
But Kinkeade’s discovery may have even wider-ranging implications. For years, Parker County has held elections for Springtown based on maps showing the city lying entirely within Parker County. Now the validity of any election based on that assumption could be called into question. Mayor Doug Hughes said the city probably has nothing to worry about. “I don’t think there’s going to be any effect at all,” he said. “It’s just if it’s an alcohol” question, “where it goes over two counties.”
The Citizens for Progression Comittee has been circulating two petitions among Springtown voters to get options for alcohol sales on the May ballot. Parker County election administrator Robert Parten said Tuesday the committee had enough signatures to allow the options to appear on the ballot – but due to the fact that Springtown actually lies in two counties, the committee must “start over” and have the city of Springtown hold the election. “Some time ago, Tracy Lee (of the committee) came in and indicated she had been to the city and the city instructed her to come to us to request a liquor petition – there were two of them – and we found out it was in the city of Springtown,” he said. “According to our map and according to the 911 map and according to the people we talked to in the city and according to the Council of Governments maps, all of Springtown is in Parker County, so we issued a petition,” Parten said. When Lee returned with the petitions, “we verified the signatures and she did have a sufficient number of signatures. “Then I had a visit from a gentleman (Kinkeade) today who presented me with a map of the city that indicated that a portion of the city limits extended into Wise County.” Parten called Springtown city secretary Jhanna Bogan, but she was out for the week. Parten said he asked the clerk who answered the phone if Springtown was entirely within Parker County, “She confirmed (it) but that was not official,” he said. “It was just on the phone.” Parten said he then got a call from Hughes who “indicated the maps (we had) were incorrect,” including the street maps handed out by the chamber of commerce and the city. “I don’t know anything about the maps the county was using,” Hughes said in an interview later on Tuesday. Hughes added that he assumed Bogan files maps with the Parker County clerk. Krey confirmed that Bogan has filed maps with the county. She “personally took it there when the most recent one was done. I know (it) was filed with Parker County this past calendar year. In fact, we did it twice because we found an error in the first one.” He didn’t know when the city limits were extended into Parker County. “It’s been that way for years, but I can’t find a council vote on it so I don’t know when it was done,” he said. Kinkeade said his questioning of the petition “hinges on the law. I was just trying to see what the law said, and I got copies of the petition under the Freedom of Information Act. “I talked to them about whether I had any kind of hope based on election law (and one question) was if they had enough names on the petition to put it on the ballot.” Kinkeade had studied the election law and discovered a rule dealing with cities that lie in two counties. “I pointed it out to the election people,” he said. “If we’re going to have this election we’re going to do it right.” Kinkeade said he got the map through the city. “Hal asked me to give him a map, so I did,” Hughes said. Lee said the technicality only delays the vote. “We have been dealing with the city of Springtown from the beginning and no one ever told us the city limits of Springtown went into Wise County,” she said. “It’s just a speed bump,” she said. “We’re going to shoot for November. We’re going to get signatures again and all the people who signed it (before) will be happy to sign it again.” Kinkeade said he obtained a copy of the first petitions because “I want to know who signed it. I’m curious who’s motivated, who wants to bring liquor stores into this town. “I don’t want anything in this town... that would cause pain,” he added. Kinkeade said the petition allows for liquor stores, based on the wording that allows for the “legal sale of beer and wine.” Lee said the option does not allow for stand-alone liquor stores. She said the secretary of state gives a list of 10 local options for alcohol sales, one which allows for “off-premises consumption” of liquor. Of the two options to be presented to Springtown voters, one allowed for consumption of mixed drinks within the premises of a restaurant, and the other allowed sales of beer and wine from stores. “To do a liquor store you have to do the option of liquor for off-site consumption,” she said. “I wish he would call us,” Lee said of Kinkeade, “and discuss this with us. I welcome him to call me.” The committee’s number is 817-458-1356. Kinkeade remained concerned about the effect alcohol sales would have on the city. “My issue isn’t about if Bubba drinks a beer,” he said. “My issue is what this does to a community. “People call me all the time and ask about the community,” he said. “What are the schools like, what are the churches like – nobody ever asks me, ‘Have you got a lot of liquor stores? Have you got a lot of beer barns?’” Parten said he felt bad about telling Lee she had to start over. “It’s so unfair that somebody spends that amount of time and effort and accomplishes what she intended, then I had to tell her that,” he said. “One-third of a mile, with no registered voters, no residences – we even checked with the platting department in Parker County. “Sounds like everybody needs a new map,” he said. “I’m sure it will come to election (in November) and people in the community wil have a chance to vote either for or against,” he added. |