Huntingdon Council Rejects Liquor Store Cap

HUNTINGDON (December 16) — The Huntingdon Town Council laid Ordinance Number 650 — a proposal to cap the number of allowed liquor stores in town limits to two — to rest Tuesday night following pushback from the community.

The council also honored Huntingdon High School football coach Eric Swenson and the Mustang football team with Pinnacle of Excellence awards (see “Swenson, Mustangs Honored With Pinnacle of Excellence Awards”) and voted on several ordinances regarding beer sales, specialty smoke and vape store limitations and property zoning.

Cyril Ostiguy appeared before the council to discuss Ordinance Number 650, which the council first discussed in November. After the first reading, a majority of council members voted in favor of limiting the town’s number of licenses for the sale of packaged liquor.

Tuesday night, Ostiguy quoted the Declaration of Independence, emphasizing citizens’ right to the pursuit of happiness.

“For some, it [the pursuit of happiness] is building a business; for others, it is raising kids, writing music, exploring the wilderness or serving something bigger than themselves…It won’t be my pursuit of happiness to open a packaged [liquor] store in Huntingdon, but it may be for others,” he said. “Just hold on to the last license for someone who wants to pursue this as their happiness.”

Later in the evening, the council revisited the ordinance for its second and final reading. In a unanimous vote, the council rejected the ordinance.

The council passed Ordinance Number 647, officially amending the Town of Huntingdon’s Zoning Ordinance to revise provisions governing single-family residential uses allowed in B-3 (Central Business) Districts. The change allows 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.

The council passed Ordinance Number 648, amending the official Zoning Map to rezone a portion of the James Realty (Cash Saver) property at 20150 Main Street, Huntingdon, to B-1 (Neighborhood Business) zoning designation from its existing designation of R-2 (Medium Density Residential). This rezoning ordinance allows Cash Saver to apply for a permit to sell packaged beer.

The council passed Ordinance Number 649, amending the “Alcoholic Beverages” portion of the Huntingdon Municipal Code, prohibiting the issuance of a permit authorizing the manufacturing or storage of beer or the sale of beer within 300 feet of a church, school, public park or public playground. This does not apply to locations within the Business Neighborhood District (B-1) or Business District (B-2).

The council passed Ordinance Number 651, establishing a separate employee probation period of 12 months for newly-appointed firefighters in the Town of Huntingdon.

On first reading, the council voted in favor of Ordinance Number 652, defining a specialty smoke and vape shop as a retail use whose defined sales floor area is more than 25% dedicated to the sale and merchandising of tobacco, vaping, edibles, concentrates, cannabis, cannabidiol oil, kratom and similar products.

This ordinance also develops limitation criteria for the stores, deciding that they shall not be located within 500 feet of a school, church, daycare or another specialty smoke or vape shop.

The council also agreed to change Huntingdon City Hall hours to 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, on first reading. This change will be effective March 1, 2026, if approved after a second reading.

The council approved water bill adjustments for two customers who experienced water leaks in November, each resulting in water bills totaling over $1,800. The normal adjustment policy changed the bills to a little over $400 each, but the council followed precedence and adjusted both bills to $250 instead.

The council also approved appointments to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Access Advisory Board. Michelle Anglea is the ADA coordinator, and Allison Williams is the committee chair. Other council members are Lori Dillahunty, Dianne Johnson, Lynn McCloskey, Ryan Forbess, Larry DePriest, John Fordon and Ronnie Breeden.

Concluding the final town council meeting of 2026, Mayor Chad Edwards said, “Keep charging forward.”