Estill council approves referendum ordinance on Sunday alcohol sales

The Town of Estill council voted 5-0 on Jan. 29 to approve Ordinance 2024-05, sending a referendum to the next general election that would allow the South Carolina Department of Revenue to issue temporary permits permitting Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages for on-premises and off‑premises consumption in Estill.

Councilman Joe N. Hadwin Jr. moved to approve the ordinance on its second reading; Councilwoman Dwanda Bolden seconded the motion. Mayor Kim E. Wiley presided. The minutes record the ordinance as approved "as amended." The item passed unanimously.

The ordinance calls for voters in Estill to decide whether the Department of Revenue may authorize temporary permits for Sunday sales under state law; the minutes do not enumerate the specific amendments approved during the second reading. The council took the vote during its regularly posted special-called meeting; no public debate or citizen comments on the ordinance are recorded in the minutes.

Because the action is to place a referendum on the ballot, any change in Sunday-sales authorization would require the Department of Revenue to issue permits consistent with the referendum outcome and applicable state procedures. The minutes identify this as the second reading and state that the referendum will occur at the next general election.

The council's next procedural step is the election itself, where registered Estill voters will decide the question. The minutes do not provide a target date for the referendum beyond "the next General Election," nor do they detail the amendment language recorded at second reading.