The Marion County Board Tuesday night will once again take up a Class A liquor license for the Lucky Barn Gaming Parlor on US 50 east of Salem at the Bannister Road intersection.
Board Chair Debbie Smith told the board at the last meeting she wants a final decision on the application at the Tuesday night meeting. An earlier vote ended with three 7-7 ties before Smith took the issue off the table and said there would be a later vote.
Smith has provided the four new board members with all the material presented earlier from those for and against. She says those in the audience will be allowed to speak for up to the five minutes allowed by the county board rules. Smith hopes those on both sides will pick spokesmen. Both sides have presented petitions for and against the proposal.
The board is also expected to be asked to approve the adoption of the Nixle Emergency Phone Alert System for the entire county. The issue was tabled at the last meeting as new board members raised questions about the service. Another meeting of the 911/ESDA committee was called last week to once again go through the program. Chair Steve Whritenour noted this system was more than just severe weather warnings but would provide a way to notify county residents of other emergencies and events through administrators set up throughout the county. Salem, Centralia, Wamac, and Odin have also stepped up to help the county pay the $ 11,740-a-year cost. Board member Brock Waggoner had sought to delay a decision until a written plan was put together for the system, something Whritenour was not interested in doing. However, Whritenour says specific plans can be developed going forward. He wants the board to take action Tuesday night to avoid any first-of-the-year price increase.
The meeting begins at seven Tuesday night in the basement meeting room of the Marion County Law Enforcement Center.
