Bell Buckle may allow brown-bagging

Bell Buckle's board passed the first reading of an ordinance that would make "brown bagging" legal again.

"Brown bagging" is the practice of a customer bringing his own bottle of wine or liquor to a restaurant to consume with a meal.

The repeal was introduced by Alderman Mark Felices, who stated that he did not want to "change the character of the town," but that it was a bad law because there was no way to enforce it.

Bell Buckle does not currently have a police department or municipal court.

Felices also said the current law infringes on the rights of customers and businesses and that the decision to allow it should rest with the business owner.

He also noted that one business had already moved from Bell Buckle because customers were not allowed to bring alcohol to enjoy with their meal. The practice is legal in neighboring Wartrace.

The repeal will go through one more reading and a public hearing next month.

A public hearing was held before the meeting to discuss applying for this year's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

Alderperson Jenny Hunt said that the town is in a good position for a water grant to deal with the many leaks that have plagued the system, but the board chose to wait on a report from Joe Richards, who is performing an leak detection survey since last month.

The board is looking at asking for a $300,000 grant. Hunt said that Bell Buckle has a "per capita" problem due to the town's low population, which places it further down on the priority list.

Water manager Ronnie Lokey stated that Richards has located six service leaks and two fire hydrant leaks during the survey, and the repairs have saved an estimated 1,166,400 gallons a month.

Lokey also said that the amount of water the town has been buying is dropping due to the repairs and water loss was down six percent from last month.

"We expect to see a lowering of this number in the next billing cycle," he said.

The board took no action on a request to remove a speed bump on School Street after other neighbors asked that it remain.

Water system employee Randy Johnson was approved for a raise to $16 an hour and a bonus of $250 after passing his Grade III Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator test.