GOOD HOPE — The Alabama Legislature may soon pass a bill that will allow alcohol sales in certain Cullman County municipalities — if area citizens decide that is what they want.

House Bill 175 will allow municipalities with populations of at least 1,000 to vote on whether or not to go wet. Currently, state law allows towns with at least 7,000 people to vote to legalize liquor sales in dry counties.

In Cullman County, which has been dry for decades, the affected municipalities include the City of Hanceville and the Town of Good Hope.

To place the choice on a local ballot in a special election, the bill requires supporters to collect signatures equaling 30 percent of the voters in the city’s last general election.

Gov. Bob Riley vetoed the bill Tuesday, but the House overrode the veto by an overwhelming margin on Thursday. The bill will likely go before the Senate on Tuesday, at which time many legislators expect the bill to pass and become law.

Cullman County’s legislators, Rep. James Fields, Rep. Jeremy Oden and Sen. Zeb Little, were among the few who voted against the bill and against overriding the governor’s veto. All three legislators said their main rationale for opposing the bill was it would cause an undo financial hardship on small towns.

Under state law, cities that allow alcohol sales must have a municipal court to deal with alcohol-related offenses, such as drunk driving.

“Towns at that level don’t always have the resources to support police to deal with that,” said Little, who is facing his own drunk-driving charges after he was arrested last month in Hoover.

“It’s just going to cause too much undo hardship on local people,” Fields said. “Some people may think it will help them ... I just don’t see it.”

While Hanceville and Cullman currently have municipal courts, Good Hope does not.

“The question is can they afford to do it,” Oden said.

To Fields, the support for alcohol sales and the accompanying tax revenue is due to the economic recession.

“People think everything you can make a buck on ... well lets go for it,” Fields said. “But that’s not necessarily so. We need to tighten up our belts and dig in.”

Though Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail would not comment on whether he was for or against alcohol sales in his city, he said he would support the citizens’ decision.

“I would be in support of letting the people vote,” Nail said.

Hanceville Business Council Chairman Betty Dover agreed.

“Whatever the people want, let them speak,” Dover said. “Me personally, I would support what the people said.”

Nail noted, however, that his support would not come without certain conditions.

“If the citizens voted to go wet, I would be in favor of having the strictest ordinances I can levy. I would not be in favor of a bar on every corner.”

Marie Weeks, owner of Marie’s Discount Flowers in Hanceville, said she would not want alcohol in her city without restrictions either.

“I don’t want any bars or that sort of thing,” Weeks said. “Restaurants would be all right.”

Like Nail, Good Hope Mayor Corey Harbison said he would support the citizens’ choice, but would not allow completely unrestricted alcohol sales in the town.

“From my standpoint as mayor, if citizens sign a petition ... it’s my duty to get it on the ballot,” Harbison said. “But the town can still put up an ordinance. It would be limited so it was not such a bad thing for the town ... not 10 bars on the interstate.”

Harbison said alcohol sales might encourage economic growth in Good Hope.

“We’d have a shot at getting some of these Outbacks and O’Charleys and other restaurants,” he said.

While Wayne Walker, co-owner of Jack’s Restaurant in Good Hope, agreed alcohol would increase revenue for the town, he said he and his partner still would not sell it.

“No, we will not serve alcohol,” Walker said. “He (the business partner) didn’t want to mess with it.”

Harry Carden, owner of Good Hope Grocery, said he would likely be forced to sell alcohol if citizens voted for it or else go out of business.

“If another place moved in that sold it ... I would lose a lot,” Carden said.

For Carden, Good Hope would be better off if it stayed dry.

“I think it will bring more problems than we have already,” Carden said. “There’s enough drunks on the highway as it is. We have enough problems with the meth. And anytime you promote a drug to help the economy ... if you’re going to do that, why not then legalize marijuana?”

Good Hope resident Chris Moody said he doesn’t mind if people drink, but would rather not have it sold in his town.

“I’d rather just drive up the road and get it,” Moody said. “I don’t want my kids around it.”

‰ Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.