Sikeston residents to vote on sale of liquor by the drink on Tuesday's ballot

SIKESTON, Mo. — Sikeston voters will decide Tuesday, Nov. 7, on whether to allow the sale of liquor by the drink.

On July 31, Sikeston City Council members approved an ordinance calling for an election to allow the sale of liquor by the drink in excess of 5%.

State law prohibits cities with fewer than 19,500 residents from allowing businesses to sell drinks containing more than 5% alcohol by the drink unless they also have food sales of at least $75,000, Sikeston city manager Jonathan Douglass.

"If somebody wants to have liquor by the drink, they have to have a restaurant with significant food sales, unless you put it to a public vote to allow liquor by the drink," Douglass said. "That's what's on the ballot, allowing liquor by the drink without food sales."

Stogies of Sikeston, Personal Expressions and Sam's Fine Jewelry, according to Douglass, have all inquired about selling liquor by the drink.

Sikeston Mayor Greg Turnbow said the city population is somewhere around 16,000 and that if the city population was 19,500 or greater, businesses would just have to go through a liquor-license process.

Turnbow said that while he doesn't see any issues with allowing liquor by the drink, the final say on the matter rests with the voters.

"We're not very far away from a population of 19,500, and I think this is more of a liquor-license issue than a value issue," Turnbow said. "But it's a state mandate, and we're going to abide by it, and we're bringing it to the voters for them to decide whether they want it or not."

If the measure is approved, applicants will still need to obtain a state license, a city license, a county license and meet zoning requirements.

In addition to obtaining a license, businesses would also have to follow distance regulations for churches and schools. The current minimum distance is 100 feet, unless the church or school gives written authorization. For people in the downtown transitional or residential zones, the measure would not be applicable.