Alcohol and Oxford: In the news again
Anyone that lives in Oxford knows that our little town has a love-hate relationship with alcohol. Yesterday, The Oxford Enterprise (Oxford's new Sunday paper) ran three major stories on the alcohol front, two on the front page with the third on page two. Unfortunately, The Enterprise's website is less than up-to-date (I imagine that this is by choice to encourage paying subscribers to the paper). I found the stories interesting, so will hit the highlights below.
The Enterprise reports first on the creation of the Downtown Safety Task Force, a 13-member task force charged with investigating safety issues on the Square. The task force arises from apparent concern over public safety on the Square, which has a growing reputation for late-night violence and drunkenness. The task force has been asked to make recommendations to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, and has created working groups to study the issues.
Second, The Enterprise reports on a meeting of hospitality operators (restaurateurs) hosted by the Oxford Convention and Visitors Bureau. The two primary topics at the meeting were evidently Sunday alcohol sales and parking on the Square. Mayor Patterson attended, and in response to questions again indicated his opposition to Sunday sales. The Mayor did suggest that he would put a request for Sunday sales to a vote if presented with a petition signed by 1,500 voters.
Finally, The Enterprise reports that DUI fines in Oxford Municipal Court through December 21, 2009, totaled $435,130.00. This represents 530 total DUI fines, a small decrease from the DUI fines issued in 2008. The story goes on to explain that the fine money amounts to only 1/26th of the City of Oxford budget, contrary to popular opinion. Bringing together the previous stories, Mayor Patterson explains that he would trade that income for reducing the number of DUI's in Oxford.
If you didn't get a copy of yesterday's Enterprise I suggest you pick one up for the full stories.
The Enterprise reports first on the creation of the Downtown Safety Task Force, a 13-member task force charged with investigating safety issues on the Square. The task force arises from apparent concern over public safety on the Square, which has a growing reputation for late-night violence and drunkenness. The task force has been asked to make recommendations to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, and has created working groups to study the issues.
Second, The Enterprise reports on a meeting of hospitality operators (restaurateurs) hosted by the Oxford Convention and Visitors Bureau. The two primary topics at the meeting were evidently Sunday alcohol sales and parking on the Square. Mayor Patterson attended, and in response to questions again indicated his opposition to Sunday sales. The Mayor did suggest that he would put a request for Sunday sales to a vote if presented with a petition signed by 1,500 voters.
Finally, The Enterprise reports that DUI fines in Oxford Municipal Court through December 21, 2009, totaled $435,130.00. This represents 530 total DUI fines, a small decrease from the DUI fines issued in 2008. The story goes on to explain that the fine money amounts to only 1/26th of the City of Oxford budget, contrary to popular opinion. Bringing together the previous stories, Mayor Patterson explains that he would trade that income for reducing the number of DUI's in Oxford.
If you didn't get a copy of yesterday's Enterprise I suggest you pick one up for the full stories.
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