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Texarkana meeting approves changes to entertainment-district hours and outside-alcohol rules
Summary
At a meeting in Texarkana, members approved amendments to Section 28-82 (Entertainment District) to set operating hours to 11 a.m.–10 p.m., prohibit outside alcohol in the district, and add a sidewalk-consumption provision after 10 p.m.; the planning commissioner was asked to seek input from public works and police in 90 days.
Members at a local meeting in Texarkana approved changes to the entertainment-district ordinance, adopting new hours and restrictions on outside alcohol and directing staff to seek interagency input on implementation.
Speaker 1 moved to amend Section 28-82 (Entertainment District) to set hours of operation to 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and to set Sunday hours to 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The motion also proposed adding a prohibition on outside-alcohol consumption. As Speaker 1 put it during the discussion, "No outside alcohol to be consumed in the district." The motion included additional language — introduced in the meeting — intended to allow alcohol consumption after 10:00 p.m. on sidewalks in front of individual establishments; the transcript records this proposal in imprecise terms.
Speaker 2 seconded the motion. Following confirmation steps and individual affirmations, the presiding speaker announced that "The motion passed." The record shows the amendment to Section 28-82 was approved as presented in the meeting.
After the vote, Speaker 1 directed the planning commissioner to consult with the public works director and the chief of police on the entertainment-district changes and to report back in 90 days. That directive was presented as staff follow-up rather than a separate formal vote.
Earlier in the meeting members adopted the summarized minutes from the previous (September) meeting by voice vote. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn was made and seconded.
Clarifying details: the motion sets the stated operating hours to 11:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; the transcript includes a direct phrase banning "outside alcohol," quoted above. The transcript language describing the sidewalk consumption allowance after 10:00 p.m. is ambiguous in wording (it references "the sidewalk in front of the individual" without completing the phrase). The article reflects only the language introduced in the meeting and does not expand or interpret the incomplete phrase beyond noting the proposed sidewalk allowance and the uncertainty in the record.
Next steps: the planning commissioner is to seek advice from public works and police and report back within 90 days, after which the governing body may consider clarifying or finalizing implementing language.
