Brookshire's beer remains hot topic
By Jerry Gaulding Editor, Free Press

Beer sales at Brookshire Bros. grocery in Diboll continued to be a prime topic of discussion at Monday's Diboll City Council meeting, with the evening's consensus being a petition to call for a repeal election being the only option left.

The Rev. Bruce Frazier, pastor of First Assembly of God of Diboll, addressed council to say a petition drive he led during the last half of February had gathered 344 signatures. He took those signatures to a meeting with Brookshire Bros. executives, but found them polite but unresponsive to his pleas that they cancel plans to sell beer and wine at their Diboll store, directly across the street from Diboll Primary School.

Frazier said President Jerry Johnson and three vice presidents, among others, met with him for more than an hour last Wednesday, but countered his arguments with their contention that for competitive reasons, they have to put alcohol in the store. A separate enclosure

has been built toward the rear of the store and sales began last week.

Trey Thompson also spoke to the council, saying he had been a Brookshire employee until the alcohol enclosure began to be built and urging council members to continue to resist the sales of alcohol at the store. Thompson urged citizens not to shop at the store.

City Attorney Jimmy Cassells said citizens were free to circulate petitions to call an election in November to vote again on Diboll's wet-dry status. If the town were voted dry, not only would Brookshire Bros. not be able to sell alcohol, all other stores and drive-thrus would be barred as well.

In the business meeting, council heard and approved the annual audit report presented by Eric carver of the Axley & Rode CPA firm. Carver said the city is getting a "clean, unqualified opinion," the highest praise possible. He said that problems encountered in previous years, caused primarily by software problems and personnel changes, did not exist this year.

"Everything has gone extremely well this year," Carver said, praising City Manager Kenneth Williams and Finance Director Elvia Garza for their money management.

Garza presented three budget amendments that council approved unanimously: $4,000 to upgrade the city phone system to add voicemail and auto-attendant features; $3,600 for a storage building to store municipal court records; and $17,000 to demolish decaying buildings. City staff has identified four buildings that are abandoned and in dire condition. The property owners will be billed and if they do not pay, tax liens will be placed on the properties. Williams said $17,000 would pay to demolish five or six structures.

Billie Hillman and Betty Capps were appointed election workers for the May 10 municipal election. Council also approved holding that election jointly with Diboll school district.Nine men have filed for a total of four seats on the council. See related story, on page one.