Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, later asked Yager to carry the amendment.
 

“Originally, it was a separate bill I think that had some problems in the House, and it was opposed by the liquor industry I believe, the retail liquor industries, so we found another vehicle and attached it to it,” McNally said.
 

Current state law requires retail sale of alcoholic beverages only in municipalities of a county where sales have been allowed by local option election or in a civil district of the county in which the district has a population of at least 30,000.

The bill as passed will exempt only Tellico Village from those requirements.
 

“The current law states that a liquor store can only be licensed in an incorporated community, and Tellico Village is not an incorporated community,” Beth Kuberka, Tellico Village Property Owners Association marketing and communications director, said in an email correspondence. “However, an opportunity recently presented itself for the POA to work with local and state-level officials who sponsored a proposed amendment to legislation that would allow the POA to own and operate a liquor store.

“... This is an exciting opportunity for the community, and we will keep the public updated as the project progresses,” she added. “We also believe this will keep sales tax dollars in Loudon County.”
 

The POA, a 501(c) corporation, is “evaluating the operational aspects of the project,” Kuberka said.
 

Commissioner Van Shaver said he was not aware of county officials being contacted to get insight.
 

A liquor store operated by the Tellico Village POA could secure additional revenue for the community and help offset some infrastructure costs, such as maintaining roads, but Kuberka said it would also fill a service residents have “repeatedly” requested.

In 2015, the POA Long-Range Planning Advisory Committee in conjunction with the Tellico Village HomeOwners Association conducted a survey in which there were 1,182 respondents. One of the top business requests was a liquor store.
 

“As far as back as 2009 when they had the referendum, the Village overwhelmingly supported the concept of package stores or liquor stores in the county,” Bruce Johnson, Tellico Village POA board president, said. “At that time they misunderstood that if that was passed in the county those would now be in the Village, they would actually have to be a city within the county. So they were very disappointed when they learned that even though they were a big part of the vote that helped the county get that capability that there would not be one in Tellico Village.”
 

At least one Loudon official expressed concern over the move.
 

“I don’t know why they have laws and then make exemptions,” Johnny James, Loudon city councilman, said. “If you’re not big enough to incorporate and have your own police department, your own fire department and everything else, you don’t need to be selling liquor. I mean that’s a no-no, and I’d never be for it. If I was in the state legislature I wouldn’t be for it. ... I don’t fault them for trying to do it but I just hope the state’s got sense enough not to do it because what you’re doing is opening up a can of worms. I mean places like Philadelphia and Dixie Lee — if anybody decided they wanted to do it could do it.”