Tucker, GA — At its Sept. 12 meeting, Tucker City Council will hold public hearings on code changes that will affect how convenience stores operate in the city.

The Sept. 12 meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will be held at City Hall, located at 1975 Lakeside Pkwy, Ste 350B, Tucker, GA 30084. To see the agenda, which includes instructions on how to view the meeting via Zoom, click here.

Community Development Director Courtney Smith previously said Tucker is working closely with DeKalb County to mirror an ordinance aiming to reduce crime, protect customers and employees and assist police with investigations when footage is provided to law enforcement. Smith presented the first read of an amendment to city code at the Tucker City Council meeting on Aug. 8.

“We don’t want to be the jurisdiction nearest where it’s being enforced, and we’re not enforcing it,” said Mayor Frank Auman.

If it passes City Council, the code will require one camera dedicated to each registered and/or check-out stand, entrance/exit, each pump, loading dock and parking lot. High resolution, color cameras are to be installed at the owner’s expense by Jan. 1, 2023.

City Attorney Ted Baggett previously said for years coin-operated gaming machines were exempt from local regulation under state law, but recent amendments to the code allow regulation by local governments. The state Constitution bans gambling, except for the state lottery for education.

An ordinance would “max out local authority” for about 32 convenience stores, said Baggett. The city is proposing locations be licensed and limited to six machines. Failure to comply could cost the establishment a revoked license to sell alcohol, as well as run the machines.

For more information on the proposed ordinances, click here.

Writer Logan C. Ritchie contributed to this story. 

The Tucker Observer is a community news website owned by Decaturish.com. We provide locally sourced news about Tucker, Clarkston and Stone Mountain.