BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Inez is preparing for a significant change following the voters’ decision to allow alcohol sales, as determined by the Nov. 7 General Election. Mayor Ed Daniels announced that a special city meeting will be held Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. featuring a legal expert from the Kentucky League of Cities. This meeting aims to provide guidance on implementing the new alcohol sales ordinance.

“They’re supporting me getting through this rather than me going out on my own and doing it wrong,” the mayor said during a city meeting Thursday.

Commissioner Jennifer Wells inquired if the meeting would focus on drafting an alcohol sales ordinance, sparking a discussion with Mayor Daniels and City Clerk Lisa Mollett. Daniels compared the complexity of an ordinance to reading “War and Peace,” while Mollett noted their typical length of about 30 pages.

Wells mentioned Prestonsburg’s ordinance as a potential model, saying several people suggest it as a superior example.

Mollett advised Wells to retain the Prestonsburg ordinance for reference, adding that she had obtained ordinances from the cities of Martin and Warfield, as well as a sample ordinance from the KLC.

Commissioners Phyllis Conrad and Roy Penix did not comment on Inez’s transition to a wet city.

This shift makes Inez the second city in Martin County to allow alcohol sales, following Warfield’s decision in 2016, which passed with a 64-7 vote. Inez’s own transition was approved with a closer 71-64 vote, while the rest of the county remains dry.

Per state law, prohibition ceases 60 days after the county clerk certifies the election. That certification occurred Monday in Martin County.

In other business, the mayor and commissioners discussed the upcoming Christmas in the Mountains event. Commissioner Penix, who oversees streets, reported the city worker had been busy helping the Martin County code enforcement officer and jail workers set up Christmas lights for the festive event.