Newton Citizen

Photo by Howard Reed

PORTERDALE -- The stage is now set for voters in Porterdale to decide if they will allow retail sales of beer and wine in their city on Sunday.

The City Council approved the third and final reading of an ordinance Thursday night that would allow for a referendum to be held on the issue in November. The ordinance provides for retail beer and wine sales on Sunday between the hours of 12:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

The city of Covington also has plans to have a similar question on the ballot in November.

The Porterdale council is also considering changing its alcohol serving hours on Sunday for restaurants, allowing sales to start at 12:30 p.m. instead of 1 p.m.

That change can be done through an ordinance amendment.

In other news, the council briefly discussed a possible ordinance addressing sagging pants. Councilman Mike Harper brought up the subject, saying that the city of Hampton recently passed an ordinance governing baggy pants and he would like to research something similar for Porterdale.

According to news reports, Hampton's ordinance allows police to write citations to people wearing pants so low that they expose skin or underwear 3 inches below the waistline. The Hampton ordinance calls for a $50 fine for the first offense, $100 for a second offense; and up to $200 for a third offense.

City Manager Bob Thomson said he had requested a copy of the Hampton ordinance for the City Council to review.

Councilmembers Linda Finger and Arline Chapman said they thought it would be prudent to see if the law is enforceable before pursuing an ordinance.

Councilman Lowell Chambers said it appears that Porterdale has less of a problem with sagging pants than some other areas.

Harper replied that the problem of sagging pants does seem to have diminished, but he believes that is only temporary and wants to have the law on the books so it can be enforced if the problem worsens.