Voters in Temple and Roopville on Tuesday will decide alcohol-related issues on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Temple will use a referendum to decide whether liquor-by-the-drink should be allowed within the city limits on Sundays.

Roopville is holding a referendum for Sunday beer and wine package sales.

Temple voters approved Sunday beer and wine sales in the July primary, but an administrative error forced the city to call for a second referendum for the liquor-by-the-drink issue.

Carroll County Elections Supervisor Becky Deese expects the major draw for voters to be the presidential election and not the Sunday alcohol referendums.

“I really think it’s the election for president,” Deese said. “I haven’t had one person ask about the Sunday sales. I don’t think there’s much interest in it.”

Temple stores requested the city hold a referendum to allow Sunday beer and wine sales after Villa Rica approved the same referendum last year, saying they were losing business to their neighbor to the east. Since the referendum passed in Temple, City Clerk Angie Costner said she hasn’t heard much about whether it has been good for local businesses.

“We haven’t had any complaints,” she said. “Anytime we don’t get any complaints, that’s a good thing.”

Temple City Administrator Kim Pope said when the referendum was first approved she did have some comments from convenience store owners that business had picked up.

According to Temple Police Chief Tim Shaw, there has been no statistical increase in the amount of impaired drivers since the Sunday sales of beer and wine went into effect the first Sunday in August, and he doesn’t expect it to change if the referendum for Sunday liquor-by-the-drink sales is approved on Tuesday.

“It’s been status quo,” he said. “In fact, I pulled stats the other day and since the Mexican restaurant in town started serving alcohol the DUIs have actually come down.”

The Mexican restaurant Shaw was referring to is El Tapatio’s, which is still the only restaurant in Temple with a pouring license, making it the only eating establishment that would immediately benefit from Sunday sales of liquor-by-the-drink if the referendum is approved next week.

If approved, the ordinance would go into effect on Sunday, Nov. 11.