JONES COUNTY, Ga. — Gray voters will soon vote whether to allow the sale of distilled spirits within their city.
On July 19, the mayor and council of the City of Gray passed a referendum to issue licenses for package sale of distilled spirits.
With Election Day just around the corner, we went to Jones County and spoke with the mayor to see what he has to say.
Mayor Ed Barbee says some people bring hard liquor into the city from Milledgeville and Macon.
He says alcohol isn't anything new to Gray, but citizens kept asking him, "When are we going to get a local packaging store?"
Traffic on Gray Highway almost never stops.
"Everybody's going down Gray Highway to get to Jones County, and then they stop, because Jones County is dry, and they're like, 'Oh,'" Jonna Hudson said.
Hudson's parents own County Line Liquor. She says people don't just drive across the county line for work, but they also drive into Macon-Bibb County for a larger alcohol selection.
"We're here for just whoever wants to stop in," Hudson said.
Charles Wayne isn't a big drinker, but at least twice a week, he drives more than 15 minutes to County Line Liquor just to get what he wants.
"It sucks sometimes, because you have to go all the way to Jones County to get it and all that. A lot of people don't like driving so far to get it," Wayne said.
Right now, you can buy beer and wine in the City of Gray, even as a dry city, but you can't buy the hard stuff. That's why in July, the council voted unanimously to put the question of packaged distilled alcohol sales in the city on the ballot. That's according to Mayor Ed Barbee.
"The voters, you know, the majority ones I spoke to, are for it. I support it. I think it would be beneficial, too. Like I said, it's a possibility of additional revenue coming in, yes, but not enough to change anything in our budget. Let's put it like that," Barbee said.
Shawn Lyde of Gray also sees it as a money making opportunity.
"If anything brings more business into Gray, I think is absolutely important," Lyde said.
Hudson says they're trying to stay neutral.
"If somewhere else pops, that's more convenient and that's good for them. We hope they get the same family experience they get here," Hudson said.
The majority of the people we spoke to say they plan on voting for liquor stores in Gray. However, Mayor Barbee also showed a flyer that was getting passed out earlier this week encouraging folks to vote no.
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