Charter committee votes 6-1 to broaden where distilled spirits may be sold in Palestine

The Palestine Charter Review Committee on a 6–1 vote approved a proposed amendment to Section 11.9 of the city charter that removes a list of specific streets where retail sales of distilled (hard) spirits for off‑premise consumption are allowed and instead states such sales are permitted within the corporate limits of the city "in accordance with all established city ordinances and state law." The committee made the change after members discussed economic-development concerns about restricting bottle sales to a small downtown footprint within a 31‑square‑mile city and noted that the county is dry.

Committee members and staff described the change as a simplification of the charter provision rather than an immediate policy deregulatory step; council and ordinance processes would still determine specific licensing, zoning and locations. Committee members noted existing examples: a downtown retail outlet called Sips opened in the last five years under historic‑district requirements and a downtown distillery was previously approved by voter exception. Committee members also said convenience‑store applications in the county typically sought beer and wine, not distilled spirits, and that some stores previously sought annexation to enable beer and wine sales.

The committee debated two drafting approaches before voting: (1) a narrow rewording to clarify the existing list of streets, and (2) the broader rewrite the committee approved, which would allow retail sales of distilled spirits citywide subject to later ordinance and zoning controls. The committee chair brought a motion to replace the detailed street list…