In addition to the proposed extension of the SPLOST, there will likely be another matter on the November ballot for all voters Henry County to consider.

  The Board of Commissioners voted 5-1 at its July 19 meeting to approve a resolution calling for a referendum on the so-called “brunch bill,” which would allow on-site consumption of alcohol from 11 a.m. until midnight on Sundays. Two of the county’s four cities have also approved such a resolution, and the other two will likely do so this month.

  In 2018 the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill giving municipalities permission to decide by referendum whether to allow alcohol to be served in restaurants before 12:30 p.m. on Sundays. It passed the Senate in February of that year and passed the House in March. Henry County and all of its cities have already passed referendums allowing Sunday alcohol sales in general, with the current window from 12:30 p.m. to midnight.

  The commissioners’ action only affects businesses in the unincorporated county, and all of the cities have indicated for some time the likelihood of taking idential action to keep the playing field level for all local businesses.

  The Stockbridge City Council passed a resolution at its July 8 regular meeting, and the Locust Grove City Council did the same thing July 15. Both of those governing bodies, along with the Board of Commissioners, have sent their resolutions to the county’s elections superintendent for placement on the Nov. 5 ballot.

  The Hampton City Council will consider the matter next week, as it is being placed on the agenda for its Aug. 13 regular meeting, city manager Alex Cohilas told the Times last week.

  The McDonough City Council actually passed a resolution early in 2019, but the city’s attorney informed council members that there is a specific window on the calendar for such actions to become official and they would have to take it up again. City manager Keith Dickerson told the Times last week that it is not on and agenda yet “but coming soon.”