The biggest news to hit our town in a long time happened on the evening of November 3, 2009. The citizens of Winona passed Proposition 1 to allow the sale of beer, wine and spirits inside our city limits. We are the first location in Smith County to have this opportunity since 1939. I believe this is great news for our community, but the passage of the proposition was only the first step. In order for this to bring the growth we are looking for, it needs to be managed properly.

The City Council is already taking action to pass new ordinances to regulate these new businesses. The first of these new ordinances will regulate the sale of alcohol and the advertising associated with those sales. We are also planning to discuss a new ordinance to regulate building aesthetics, such as requiring a brick or rock front on all new buildings. Another discussion item will be regulation of signage in general, such as billboards and other business advertising. Please reach out to your City Council and let them know what you would like to see addressed in these ordinances.

If we do this right, I believe it will be a great benefit for our town. If we don’t do it right, it could be a detriment to our town. Regardless of which side of the alcohol issue you were on, we must all work together now to make this a positive influence on our town. I look forward to your questions, suggestions and support.

As always, if you should have any questions, please contact City Hall at 903-877-3381, or you can email us at cityhall@winonatexas.com.

Sincerely,
Rusty Smith
Mayor
City of Winona