By Blake Deshazo

The Selma Times-Journal

The sale of draft beer could soon be on tap for the city of Selma.

Members of the Selma City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night asking local legislators, Rep. Darrio Melton and Sen. Hank Sanders, to bring forth legislation that would change the draft beer law.

Councilman Greg Bjelke said several cities in Alabama have had laws passed recently that allow the sale of draft beer, and Selma is hoping to do the same.

“Twenty-five or 30 years ago there weren’t beer sales on Sunday, and alcohol was sort of taboo,” he said. “Selma has this great arts revival going on, so I think our time has come.”

The next step would be for Melton and Sanders to bring up the issue in next year’s session. According to Bjelke if a law allowing draft beer to be sold in Selma is passed, it could be beneficial.

“It will benefit the city in tourism, sales tax and it will be a shot in the arm for our entertainment district,” he said. “I think it’s got the possibility to be something great to Selma because all of the cities around us sell draft beer, and it is going to open up a lot of great opportunities.”

Local attorney Allen Reeves, who supports the idea of draft beer sales, said it could also open the door for microbreweries in Selma.

“It would mean that the stumbling block to having a microbrewery would be removed, and there would be more likelihood that we could have one,” Reeves said. “The idea is that it seems that the microbrewery or the craft beer phenomenon is a good way to kind of revitalize the downtown area.”

Bjelke said the Blackbelt Benefit Group has been one of the main supporters of the draft beer law because they believe it will help bring more business to downtown Selma.

“The Blackbelt Benefit Group has been talking about bringing or doing a microbrewery in the entertainment district in one of those great old buildings in that area,” Bjelke said. “They are the spark to get this thing going. Everybody is always saying we need more fun places to eat and more to do in Selma, so this would certainly be more.”