Huntingdon Considers Limit On Liquor Stores

HUNTINGDON (November 25) — The Huntingdon Town Council met Tuesday night with a long list of ordinances to consider, including one that sparked discussion among council members: a limit on the town’s permitted number of liquor stores.

The ordinance to limit the town’s number of licenses for the sale of packaged liquor to two is meant to protect store-owners from failure, explained Huntingdon Mayor Chad Edwards.

After reaching out to neighboring towns, Edwards said, “Two [stores] is pretty much what will survive.”

Council member Chad Barnhart disagreed with the ordinance and said he believed a store’s potential to survive depends on its owners’ drive and ability to market a product.

Citing his conservative platform, Barnhart said, “This puts the government in the way, reduces operator supply and eliminates competition.”

Council member Lori Dillahunty cited the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and said, “The one thing that stood out to me is that when you limit it you prevent excessive alcohol use and related harms.”

Councilpeople Will Atkins, Dillahunty, Daniel Eubanks and John Sanders voted in approval of the ordinance on its first hearing. Barnhart voted against the ordinance. Councilperson Kelly Eubanks was absent from the vote.

In other new business, the council voted to rezone Cashsaver from R-2 to B-1, allowing it to be zoned as a Neighborhood Business, and to amend Huntingdon’s Municipal Code to allow businesses the issuance of a beer permit if they are within 300-feet within a Neighborhood Business District and a General Business District (See: “Huntingdon to Rezone Cashsaver Property to Allow Beer Sales”).

The council also voted to amend Huntingdon’s Zoning Ordinance to revise provisions governing single-family residential uses allowed in B-3 (Central Business Districts), on first hearing. The change will allow single-family residential uses in the rear of a building (on the ground floor), so long as the front of the building remains being used commercially.

The amendment also revises the minimum square footage for B-3 single-family residential uses from 1,000 square feet to 900 square feet, so the minimum size matches Huntingdon’s criteria for tiny houses.

On first hearing, the council voted to establish a separate employee probation period of 12 months for newly-appointed firefighters in the Town of Huntingdon.

On the second and final hearing, the council voted to amend the Huntingdon Municipal Code relative to building and utility codes, and they voted to amend the Americans with Disabilities Act Program in the town’s municipal code, adding language protecting disabled people from discrimination.

The council also considered bid awards for the purchase of one 2025 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercrew truck for the Huntingdon Police Department, accepting Steve Marsh Ford’s low bid offer of $49, 343.73.

Mayor Edwards informed the council that the Huntingdon Fire Department received its new fire engine on November 24. The fire engine was on display outside of Huntingdon City Hall before and after the meeting.

The Huntingdon Town Council meets Tuesday, December 16, for its final gathering of the year.