The High Springs City Commission instructed the city attorney to prepare the required ordinance and ballot language so voters can decide a petition seeking relaxed Sunday rules for breweries and similar businesses.

City Attorney Danielle told the commission staff can present an ordinance, a zoning change or other options but needed definitive direction. “One of the things that staff did was they put together an aerial map of your central downtown area,” Danielle said, and described a common zoning restriction: establishments deriving 51% or more of sales from alcohol cannot be within 500 feet of a church.

Commissioners debated several approaches. Commissioner Howell suggested an industry-specific carve-out that would allow businesses that “manufacture your own product on premises” more leeway, potentially permitting a brewery taproom to operate Sundays while preserving restrictions on bars.

Mayor Grunder and other commissioners discussed the petition process. The petition that is circulating must meet city-code signature thresholds (10 percent of electors) and, per city rules, an ordinance resulting from a petition must still be submitted to the commission; if the commission rejects the measure it may still go to the ballot if the petitioners meet code requirements. Mayor Grunder said tonight was the final opportunity to act to get the question on this year’s ballot.

Public comment was extensive. Supporters urged putting the question to voters. “Allow the citizen just to go out on record, be done with this, over and done,” said Courtney Base. Other speakers asked the commission to use permits that already exist; staff noted the ordinance’s special-event/special-permit language allows multiple future events in a single application. Dana Pasquerella, a resident, urged the commission to avoid letting a few vocal opponents decide policy for the larger community.

Opponents and some commissioners urged caution. Commissioner Bloodsworth argued for maintaining the current ordinance and relying on the special-event permit path, citing the city’s character and the longstanding 500-foot church-distance rule. Several commissioners expressed concern about outside influence and strongly worded social-media exchanges that have inflamed the debate.

After a series of motions — including a proposal to direct the city attorney to draft an ordinance creating a carve-out for manufacturers and a later motion to send the petition language to the ballot — Mayor Grunder moved to have the city attorney bring back the documents required to put the petition on the ballot. He then amended the motion to mirror the petition language being circulated. The motion passed after amendment and public comment.

What the vote does and does not do: The commission’s instruction directs staff to prepare the ordinance and ballot materials for public review and eventual commission action; it does not by itself change city code. Danielle reminded the commission that if petitioners submit the required signatures and the commission rejects the resulting ordinance, the petitioners retain the right under the city’s code to place the matter before voters.

Next steps: City staff and the city attorney will prepare the ordinance/ballot language and return to the commission for formal readings and public hearings in order to meet the election timeline.