Carrollton residents will soon have the opportunity to vote on Sunday alcohol-by-the-drink sales, with the Carrollton City Council’s unanimous decision Monday to put a referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot.

According to City Manager Casey Coleman, the city had received persistent questions about allowing Sunday sales in recent years, and by putting it on the ballot, it gives residents the opportunity to decide for themselves.

“Over the last several years, we’ve been approached by a number of people requesting that we have a referendum on Sunday alcohol sales,” Coleman said.

As it will appear on the ballot, the referendum reads, “Shall the governing authority of the City of Carrollton be authorized to permit and regulate Sunday sales of distilled spirits or alcoholic beverages for beverage purposes by the drink?” Voters will have the chance to vote yes or no.

Should it be passed with a majority vote, restaurants within the city limits which meet a number of requirements would be able to sell alcohol by the drink from 12:30 p.m. to midnight on Sundays. State law prohibits Sunday sales of packaged alcoholic beverages at stores, but a number of cities across the state have voted to allow by-the-drink sales for restaurants on Sunday, including Villa Rica. Bowdon passed a similar referendum last year allowing by-the-drink sales on all days except Sunday.

State law mandates that any municipality voting to allow Sunday sales limit the privilege to restaurants that derive at least half of all their annual gross sales from food and to hotels and motels that derive 50 percent or more of their total annual gross revenue to the rental of rooms or overnight lodging.

Councilman Peter Balega said that it’s likely Sunday sales could help usher more restaurants into the city, though in the end, it will be up to the public to decide if that’s the route they want to take.

“I think it’s a really good way to let people decide what happens in our city,” Balega said.

Councilman Gerald Byrd agreed, saying that if the council can allow the residents of the city to make a decision of this magnitude then it should yield to the public’s wishes whenever possible. By voting for the referendum, Byrd said he was not necessarily supporting the referendum, as that is for the electorate to decide.

“A beautiful thing about the whole thing is this, it puts the power back into the people’s hands,” he said. “I was not voting for Sunday alcohol sales. I was voting to give people power, and that’s what I’m proud of.”