ABC Officials Postpone Attending Fiscal Court Meeting
Officials with the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control agency say they will not attend Monday night’s Russell County Fiscal Court meeting….nor will that agency issue any license to local restaurants….until a recently filed lawsuit is resolved. In a letter to Russell County Judge Executive Mickey Garner, dated Thursday, January 7th, ABC’s General Counsel Peter Ervin said if the local option election is held void….then Russell County is dry. Ervin said that under the present circumstances, the state ABC agency does not believe they can issue any license until there is a final adjudication regarding the outcome and validity of the November 24th special election. Ervin told the County Judge that ABC officials had been willing to attend Monday night’s Fiscal Court meeting to answer questions regarding licensing issues, but doing so under the current circumstances would seem premature. Judge Garner told WJRS NEWS the Fiscal Court “will not” take any action at Monday night’s meeting, or any other time, on creating and filling a position for a local ABC Administrator until the lawsuit is settled.
