In northern Utah’s Hyde Park, the sale of alcohol is illegal. On Nov. 5, the city's residents will vote on whether to legalize the sale of alcohol.
Last October, the Hyde Park City Council passed an ordinance that permits alcohol sales. Originally, the Hyde Park Maverick gas station approached the city and asked if it would allow the sale of alcohol.
After much debate, the city council passed the ordinance which allowed alcohol sales only to be shot down again by Hyde Park residents. Some Hyde Park residents are trying to overturn the Council’s actions through a referendum. The city council has decided to let the residents vote on the ordinance change.
The mayor of Hyde Park, Bryan Cox, says he’s nervous about the upcoming vote.
“It’s not a moral choice, it’s a matter of what does Hyde Park do and how do we attract businesses that are good business?” Cox said.
Cox is focused more on the business side of the referendum, he said.
“I don’t understand why people would vote to not have sales tax in their community,” he said. “If we’re not going to have that sales tax, city infrastructure costs money and the only other place that we get it from is peoples’ property tax. So, as long as people know and understand what they are voting for when they vote against this proposition they are voting to shoulder the burden of maintaining infrastructure on property owners."
Morgan Pratt is a sophomore at Utah State University seeking a degree in Journalism and Communications.
