CHURCH HILL - While voters approved liquor by the drink in Church Hill on Nov. 6, city officials on Tuesday said they are still preparing to iron out the details of its implementation.
During the November Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, resident Paul DeCost appealed to board members and asked them to consider repealing the city's ban on Sunday beer sales, particularly now that the liquor by the drink referendum has been approved.
DeCost said that he believes not allowing the sale of beer on Sunday is "a major impediment" to businesses that might want to locate in Church Hill - businesses that might want to serve alcohol on Sunday.
Mayor Dennis Deal said City Attorney Chris Raines was currently drawing up rules for the new liquor by the drink policy, but Raines, who was present at the meeting, said the city is primarily waiting to see what will happen when Rogersville implements its own liquor by the drink regulations in the coming year.
"There are things you all need to address as a council," Raines said, asking if the authority to regulate liquor by the drink would be delegated to the Church Hill Beer Board.
Mayor Deal said he wasn't certain of the parameters of the current beer board and further encouraged a workshop to be set up to discuss all areas of the proposal.
The mayor suggested allowing the beer board to serve as the new liquor board, in order to have it contained under a single entity.
"We probably will not do this until the first of the year, and this will also give us more time to see what they're going to do in Rogersville," Deal said.
A workshop is tentatively being scheduled in January 2013.
In other business, the BMA:
• heard from Mayor Deal regarding the need for stronger enforcement of Church Hill's peddling regulations.
Deal cited a recent incident in which a company from Ohio was going door-to-door in Church Hill, selling cleaning supplies without a permit, which is required inside city limits.
"We don't want to stop Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or civic groups from going door-to-door, but we need something in place so this will not go on," he said.  "We stopped peddling at the traffic light, so why would we let them go door-to-door?"
Attorney Raines said the city's current codes applied to peddlers, but he has if the board wanted to overhaul the ordinance or, simply, "strengthen restrictions."
The existing ordinance, according to Raines and Police Chief Mark Johnson, allows officers to deal with illegal peddling inside the city, but also requires a personal application.
"Our sister city has the same problem," Deal noted, before he prompted Chief Johnson to notify him personally before approving a permit.
• Scheduled the city employee Christmas Dinner for December 8.
• Noted that the city's Christmas Parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. along East Main Boulevard, beginning at the senior center.
• heard from Mayor Deal who said they city is examining the possibility of extending wastewater treatment lines into the New Canton community via Community Development Block Grants, and considering the possibility of eventual annexation.  Currently, Church Hill's corporate limits bypass New Canton, but includes properties west of the road, extending to AFG and Cross Valley Roads.