Residents give Nibley city council an earful about Sunday beer sales

By Ashley Zarate

February, 8 2008 | NIBLEY -- The City Council decided Thursday to review an ordinance that prohibits sale of beer for off-premise consumption in Nibley city limits on Sundays.

This meeting was not a public hearing. It was a discussion among the council, but at one point the public was allowed to express their opinions on the matter. The discussion lasted over an hour and the public's opinions took up most of the time.

Councilman Thayne Mickelson said he never knew buying alcohol on a Sunday was such a big issue.

"I was personally unaware that throughout the county it was an issue that you couldn't buy beer on Sunday," Mickelson said. "I didn't know it was an issue. I assumed they could buy anything on Sunday. I just don't shop on Sundays."

He said he would rather the county be a dry county where alcohol couldn't be purchased at all, regardless of the day of the week. "I can give you pages of proof that drinking alcohol is a danger to the public. I think we need to make a healthy community and a pleasant place to live. If I was going to vote to get something done I would rather have a dry county. I would vote for that over anything," Mickelson said.

The only establishment in Nibley that sells beer is the Maverick gas station. Maverick had to get a class A beer license. They complied with every license and it wasn't until after they had their license that the question of Sunday sales was raised.

Many residents of the community came to the meeting to express their opinions on the restriction. Kristen Hansen, a Nibley resident, said she believes it is safer to allow Maverick to continue selling beer on Sundays.

"Wouldn't you rather have people closer to home and not have to drive a distance to get alcohol? People will drive and drink," Hansen said.

Clair Shenk, a long-time Nibley resident, said, "My sister was killed by a drunk driver and I have strong feelings. I just assume we were a dry city. If the DUI instances are up then we need to do more education."

Shenk went on to say he has seen the city before and after law changes, and the future makes him concerned about the moral safety of the community.

Zachary Shank, another Nibley resident, said, "We need to keep everything the way it should be and not sell beer on Sundays."

Miickelson said the community needs to keep in mind that free agency is a benefit of living in America. He said that this is a moral issue and the people he is worried most about are the ones that consume alcohol irresponsibly.

Councilman Larry Jacobsen wrote both his home and cell phone numbers on the board and announced that he would give anyone a ride at any time to help prevent DUIs. He said he is a consumer of alcohol but that he is a responsible drinker and believes that this problem can be solved and keep everyone happy.

Jacobsen said, "I think neither side has much to lose in this argument. If you are offended by someone buying beer on Sundays then don't go to Maverick on Sundays. Prohibition was tried in this county and it was a miserable failure."

He went on to say he doesn't think this issue has anything to do with health or safety. He said he thinks a city's ultimate responsibility is to provide a safe place to live and drinking on any day of the week is an individual choice and should be left to those individuals.

The council will review the ordinance with experts from the health department.

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