Freestone County seeks state records after map shows Precinct 4 as ‘wet’ amid local distilled-spirits permit

Freestone County officials spent the bulk of a special meeting on April 27 probing why a state alcohol-status map lists Precinct 4 as "wet" and whether that designation correctly reflects local votes and permits.

The Chair opened the discussion by noting that an applicant identified in the record as "Miss Reed" had applied for and received a permit related to distilled-spirits sales. The Chair said the county had considered pausing any opening tied to that permit until the mapping and record questions were resolved.

A county staff member said archives staff in Austin had located records back to Aug. 31, 2017, and would continue to search earlier fiscal-year spreadsheets to find the first date Precinct 4 appeared as "wet." "The last thing they sent me today was from Ken from the archive up in Austin is on 08/31/2017," the staff member said. "They're gonna go back further."

A commissioner summarized local-option vote history, saying Wortham adopted permissions around 1998, Streetman in 2007 and Fairfield failed in 2008; a countywide change was noted in 2012. He stressed those earlier votes often covered beer and wine or restaurant exceptions and did not automatically include distilled spirits for the whole precinct. "It became the ability to sell alcohol, distilled spirits in Wortham," the commissioner said. "For beer, wine, there's a restaurant caveat in there as well, but that vote didn't include distilled spirits."

Another commissioner described a working theory—attributed in discussion to Brian Evans—that the fact Wortham and Streetman both sit in Precinct 4 and that Precinct 4 is the one showing incorrectly suggests a localized reporting or mapping error. "I don't think there's any coincidence that Wortham and Streetman are in Precinct 4, and Precinct 4 on the map is the one that ended up getting messed up," the commissioner said.

Officials discussed which state office maintains the public map and how updates are made. One commissioner described the statewide map as built from local reporting and said the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) functions as the regulatory authority in these matters. County staff also said the permit application had been routed to the Secretary of State as part of verification steps. "This is sent to the Secretary of State, and they are supposed to clarify also," a county official said.

County staff outlined the next steps: continue archival searches to find the first recorded date Precinct 4 appeared as "wet," compile any emails or votes that document the change, and press the Austin offices and the Secretary of State for clarification so the interactive map can be corrected if necessary. The Chair thanked staff for holding off on any opening tied to the permit while the county verifies the record.

There was no formal vote recorded on the mapping issue during the meeting; commissioners said they will return with findings from the records search and responses from state offices.