Smithville Mayor and Alderman to have Workshop on City Beer Ordinance

August 9, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Should the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen update the city’s beer ordinance to make it easier for businesses including eateries in the downtown business district to sell the beverage?

The Smithville Mayor and Aldermen have scheduled a workshop to discuss the issue on Tuesday, August 20 at 6 p.m. at city hall.

In June, local businessman Tony Luna was one of three people who addressed the mayor and aldermen to make this request. Luna renewed his request during Monday night’s monthly meeting.

Luna said in June that the existing beer ordinance is an impediment to economic growth and its unfair because of the distance requirement for businesses to obtain a beer permit. The other two people who addressed the mayor and aldermen in June, Ken Fennell and Gary Booth, essentially made the same arguments.

Local businessman Ace Gonzalez spoke Monday night saying essentially that he could support changes in the ordinance if good restrictions are in place particularly for establishments who currently allow customers to bring in their own beer.

Under the ordinance, the language states that “In no event will a permit be issued authorizing the manufacture or storage of beer, or the sale of beer within 400 feet of any school or church. The distance requirement shall be measured in a straight line from the primary entrance of the establishment seeking a permit to sell beer to the primary entrance of the school or church”.

Mayor Josh Miller explained that any change in the beer ordinance would require passage of an ordinance on two separate readings and a public hearing.

August 8, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A McMinnville man has been arrested by Smithville Police for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and solicitation of a person under age 18 as a result of an undercover investigation.

31-year-old Toby Denton Pack is under a $12,500 bond and his court date is August 22.

Police Chief Mark Collins said that during a recent investigation of a runaway detectives determined that Pack gave the juvenile a ride from Smithville to Warren County further preventing a safe return to her family or law enforcement.

“Also, Pack, through a “snap chat” solicited an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old female to come to his house for sexual favors”, said Chief Collins.

“During an interview, Pack admitted to these charges,” he concluded.

August 8, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Is it time for the county to establish zoning regulations for oversight in the development of certain land uses such as quarries, cell towers, pallet yards, junk yards, chicken farms, etc?

A year ago, the county commission considered but failed to adopt a “County Powers Act” resolution as well as one to establish and enforce regulatory standards regarding health and safety conditions of residential and non-residential properties within the confines of DeKalb County outside the boundaries of the municipalities which already have codes and ordinances.

The idea was to prevent or eliminate dangerous and or unsanitary conditions resulting from overgrown vegetation, accumulation of debris, trash, litter, and garbage, or the presence of vacant dilapidated buildings or structures. Although DeKalb County currently has no zoning regulations in place, the “County Powers Act” gives counties, without establishing zoning, the authority to set and enforce standards for county property owners with respect to nuisances and other practices deemed detrimental to their neighbors.

The issue of the need for regulations is being raised again, at least by one concerned citizen in the Snow Hill community after discovering only a week ago, along with his neighbors, that a concrete company was conducting blasting operations near their homes in preparation for the development of a quarry.
Michael Antoniak told WJLE this week that he was surprised to learn after contacting state officials that oversight authority over issues such as this is left largely to the county government. In DeKalb County there is no such oversight authority or regulations.

“Right now if someone has a decent amount of land next to you they can do pretty much anything they want until they get up against a state regulation or a federal regulation! So, if you have moved here from somewhere else you might be shocked to know that there is nothing in place to protect the haven you have come here for,” said Antoniak. “We have no kind of zoning restrictions and no way of even knowing what or why something is there until we see for ourselves”.

“This should be a wake up call that our government is not doing it’s job by not instituting zoning, planning, or some sort of restrictions,” Antoniak continued. “In most places where people go to fight something like this (quarry) is the county planning commission. They don’t go to the company…. local governments should have things in place to at least be aware of and review what is coming in or being proposed and to alert the public of what’s happening,” he said.

Antoniak said the residents of DeKalb County should contact their county commissioners if they have concerns because the public should at least know what is moving into their neighborhoods and have an opportunity to have a voice.

“No one saw this coming (quarry) because no one had to know. Ask yourself what’s next? It shouldn’t be up to someone to discover something like this. The public should have a right to speak out and that power only comes from government,” said Antoniak. “We have freedom of speech as Americans and we must exercise that speech but the power of being alerted that something is coming in or being proposed can only be given to the people through government and we don’t have it in DeKalb County”.

“In this case, this seems to be a decent company (SRM) so we will appeal to their decency and see if we can get something done about the quarry but that’s our only option because we have no one else to turn to,” explained Antoniak.

“It’s time that the county wake up. If you are concerned about what might come near you, start letting your elected officials and representatives know because we have to come out of this Stone Age. This just can’t go on,” said Antoniak.

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