Buy Local First! Completes Petition Phase Before Deadline

TYLER — Buy Local First! has completed collecting the required number of signatures on its petitions in an effort to place limited beer and wine sales on the November ballot, beating its deadline in the process. City of Tyler and Smith County officials now have 30 days to verify the signatures before the petitions must be presented at the next regular meeting of each. That would be July 25 for the Tyler City Council and July 24 for the Smith County Commissioners Court. If the required number of valid signatures has been reached, officials are required to put the local option on the November ballot.

In order to call an election, state law required the group to collect approximately 7,800 signatures of City of Tyler registered voters and 6,700 signatures of voters in Justice Precinct 2 which includes southwestern Tyler, Flint and Bullard. The valid signatures collected totaled approximately 9,100 for the City of Tyler and approximately 7,100 for JP-2. The group asked voters to sign petitions calling for an election to allow beer and wine sold in places like grocery and convenience stores and “the legal sale of mixed beverages in restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders only.”

A local group has filed paperwork with the Smith County Elections Office to oppose the Buy Local First! organization. According to KETK, “Stand Strong for Tyler” filed paperwork recently and is led by Dr. Michael Daniels, pastor of Landmark Baptist Church.