BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Voters in Rogers and Bentonville voted in favor of selling alcohol on Sundays in November and now The Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) has officially announced the election results have been certified.
ABC confirmed that the two cities can start selling alcohol on Sundays beginning Jan. 1, 2023.
According to the Benton County election results, Rogers residents voted over 70% in favor of alcohol sales on Sundays. In Bentonville, 74% of voters were in favor.
The Keep Our Dollars Local campaign, the committee that collected signatures earlier in the year to put the allowance of Sunday sales of alcohol in Rogers and Bentonville on the ballot, announced the issues would be on the ballot back in July.
The petitions were required to have signatures from 15% of the qualified voters who cast ballots in the last state governor's election in each city.
"I just think it's a great thing for our community, for our local business owners and for our taxpaying citizens to be able to keep those sales tax dollars," said Clay Kendall, the chairman of the Keep Our Dollars Local committee.
Election results:
Frank Jameson is the general manager of Spiritueux Wines and Liquors in Rogers. The store has been serving the area since 2015 and Jameson says this will allow locals to pick from their neighborhood store any day of the week.
"I don't have to travel, you know, 50 miles down the road to Springdale, or go up to Missouri," said Jameson. "I can actually go in somewhere that's real quick, close, where I already know."
Both Jameson and Kendall expressed how this would also help keep everything local. Kendall expanded by saying some would spend on more than just alcohol, providing income for local businesses.
Jameson explained this could bring a 10 to 15% increase in revenue. He says now the store is concerned about the extra work, bringing in more jobs.
"Whether it's new supervisors, or new input and cashiers, and stockers to come in and be able to work on an extra day of the week," said Jameson. "It's great. I mean, because then we were hiring more people."
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