Kearney City Council OK’s Sunday Alcohol Sales

Starting next month, people will be able to buy alcohol and take it home or elsewhere on Sundays in Kearney.

The City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to remove the city ban, effective July 12. Current law allows on-premise sales between noon and midnight.

State law allows beer or wine to be sold after 6 a.m. and harder liquor after noon unless barred by local ordinance.

Mayor Stan Clouse had said the current ordinance put owners of Kearney's convenience and liquor stores at a competitive disadvantage.

Officials with Project Extra Mile, an organization that fights underage drinking, opposed the change.

The group's executive director had said the council should consider the public-health consequences of expanded drinking.