The Public Welfare and Safety Committee on Nov. 24 considered a proposal from Councilman Large to prohibit new or transferred liquor and tobacco licenses on vacant properties or within designated distances of schools, churches, parks or libraries, with exceptions for downtown commercial and designated entertainment districts.

Mister Harris introduced the request and said it would be referred to finance as appropriate; Committee members asked planning and legal staff whether the new development code (now in draft) already addresses those restrictions. Several council members urged caution about duplicating pending language in the development code. "If it's already there, then it's already there," one member said, while Councilman Best expressed concern that the new code might not reach council before the end of the year and urged moving forward to protect the city in case the code is delayed.

The committee agreed to hold the item until they could get clarification from planning staff (Miss Carr) and to allow two readings if necessary so council can act before the legislative session ends. A motion to call for the item passed and will be scheduled to return with staff answers.

Why it matters: The ordinance, if enacted, would limit where liquor and tobacco licenses can be issued in Barberton and could affect business owners and property developers. Councilmembers cited the pending development code as a key dependency and debated whether standalone action is necessary or duplicative.

Next steps: Planning staff will report back on whether the proposed restrictions are already incorporated in the draft development code; the committee signaled it may pursue two readings if the code will not timely resolve the issue.