Legislation calling for an expansion of alcohol sales in north Alabama has legislators debating territorial rights as much as the issue of liquor.
House Bill (HB) 88, sponsored by Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow, whose district covers Franklin County and parts of Colbert County, focuses on allowing alcohol sales at a private golf club in Limestone County, which is a dry county.
Limestone County representatives Tommy Carter and Angelo Mancuso along with Sen. Tom Butler, a member of University Baptist Church, Huntsville, are angry they were not informed or consulted about the legislation dealing with their district.
The companion bill in the Senate, Senate Bill (SB) 225, was submitted by Montgomery senator Charles Langford. It was given unanimous approval in the Senate’s marketing and tourism committee and it is now on the calendar for a Senate vote.
The bill, which would allow private clubs to sell alcohol in dry counties as a means of community development, does not specifically name Limestone County.
But Alabama’s moral watchdog, Dan Ireland, was suspicious of the wording and investigated the bill.
Ireland, who is executive director of Alabama Citizens Action Committee (ALCAP), learned that the bill was in the local government committee, which is chaired by Rep. Bill Dukes, D-Morgan.
Dukes told Ireland that Morrow and others had requested the bill be put on the first week’s calendar.
Ireland then contacted the Limestone County delegation — made up of Carter, Mancuso and Butler — and none of them was aware that the legislation had been drafted.
Butler said, “When you read House Bill 88 you don’t know what county it pertains to. Digging around we found it was targeted for Limestone County. The language is intended to give a residential golf community alcohol privileges in a dry county.
“The people of Limestone County have rejected alcohol sales in their county, and they have chosen to be dry,” he noted.
Butler said the Limestone delegation met regarding the bill and has sent a letter to Dukes requesting that the bill not be put on the committee’s agenda (which allows the bill to be heard and voted on).
If the bill does make it to the agenda, then the delegation has requested a public hearing, preferably in Athens, Butler said.
Butler said submitting the bill without the local delegates’ knowledge was “inappropriate.”
“It was a sneaky move,” he said, adding, “We are going to oppose it and fight it with everything we have. Crafty attorneys are hired to write bills that are difficult to interpret. Bills drafted in this manner make it hard for lay persons serving in the Legislature to interpret the exact intent.”
Morrow, a member of First Baptist Church, Red Bay, said his intention for sponsoring the bill was to promote economic development. He said a similar bill was passed in 2000 pertaining to Turtle Point Country Club in Lauderdale County.
Morrow said the bill allowed for alcohol to be served at the country club even though it was located in a dry county. “To the best of my memory, that bill passed by a vote of 70 to 3 in the House and 15 to 3 in the Senate. I’m just trying to be fair about this issue. Everyone who is opposing it now didn’t have a problem with it in 2000. They voted for it without a problem, but now they’re opposing it because it is an election year,” Morrow said.
“If members of the Legislature don’t want to be fair, then I’ll pull my bill and put one in its place that repeals the one affecting Turtle Point. I’m thinking seriously about doing that,” he added.
Morrow said the area in question is located in Athens and is a golf course resort community known as Canebrake Club.
The Alabama Baptist has learned that Canebrake Properties LLC is a planned real estate development situated around an 18-hole golf course known as the Canebrake Golf Club. There are 250 memberships available at a fee of $6,500 per membership. According to an employee at the Athens club, there are 150 memberships still available. The real estate development opened in September 2000.
Sources tell The Alabama Baptist that the original owner of the development filed for bankruptcy and that the business is under new ownership. The secretary of state records indicate that Canebrake Club Properties LLC was formed in 1999 and was dissolved in July 2001. Durward Jackson was listed as the registered agent. Sources in Athens said Jackson was the original owner but that the corporation is now owned by a company out of California. State corporation records list a Canebrake Club, LLC; a Canebrake Golf Club, LLC and Canebrake Club Realty, LLC out of San Francisco, Calif., as being active businesses in Alabama.
A phone directory listing for Canebrake Club identifies Jeff Martin as the sales contact for real estate property. A Canebrake Golf Club employee said Martin is part owner in the business.
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