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Fayetteville group petitioning to allow alcohol sales on Sunday, cites lost tax dollars

If approved, Fayetteville would be the biggest city in Arkansas to allow Sunday alcohol sales.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Another Fayetteville group is out collecting signatures to allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays within city limits, citing tax dollars lost to neighboring cities like Springdale as a main contributor.

On April 1, officials with the Keep Our Dollars in Fayetteville Committee went to the Walmart Supercenter on Mall Avenue to kickstart the signature-seeking.

In March, Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control (AABC) said, "Bentonville, Springdale, and Rogers have all passed and implemented Sunday sales. We always thought it was just a matter of time until Fayetteville pursued this."

Democratic State Rep. Denise Garner is heading the Fayetteville initiative as the committee chair. 

"Once Springdale and Rogers and Bentonville and several of the communities around us got this done, we just decided that it was long past time for Fayetteville to do the same," Garner said. "We don't want our visitors and our residents to have to go to Springdale or one of our other communities to buy their spirits." 

Fayetteville will have to collect the signatures of 15% of the people who voted in the most recent election for governor. 

"It is about 4,200 people, and we are trying to get 4500 just to make sure that we have registered voters and that we have the numbers that we need," Garner said. 

If approved, Fayetteville would be the biggest city in Arkansas to allow Sunday alcohol sales. 

"We know that we're losing thousands of dollars every weekend, and so that adds up very, very quickly," Garner said. "This is a win-win for everyone. This doesn't have anything to do with making liquor more accessible or any issues with alcoholism or drunk driving. There's no data that shows that any of that happens with Sunday sales. The issue is economics, and we want to make sure that those dollars stay in Fayetteville." 

Walmart has also backed the idea. They said it would benefit their customers and create a one-stop shop. 

Walmart's Director of Public Affairs Michael Lindsey provided the following statement: 

"Numerous jurisdictions in Arkansas currently permit Sunday sales, including the nearby city of Springdale. Additionally, Sunday is a very busy shopping day, and supporting Sunday sales is just another way we add convenience for our customers ensuring they have a full choice of products they want every day." 


   

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