SYRACUSE — The Syracuse City Council is expected to decide tonight whether to hold a special election in June for residents to vote on the city's alcohol ordinance.

The Davis County Clerk/Auditor's Office finished certifying 1,010 referendum petition signatures — 66 more than the required 944 — on Monday afternoon, thus suspending the ordinance until an election can be held, likely in November.

The city's alcohol ordinance, which the council amended in February to allow restaurants to serve alcohol for on-site consumption, faces opposition from a resident group that circulated the petitions shortly after the council changed the ordinance.

Petition sponsors said they believed allowing restaurants to serve alcohol would put Syracuse on a "slippery slope" toward allowing bars, taverns and strip clubs. They also said they believed children playing in nearby parks or schools could be in danger of drivers who consumed too much alcohol at dinner.

Syracuse Mayor Fred Panucci said he struggles with that logic.

It's cost-prohibitive to get drunk at a restaurant, he said, adding that Syracuse residents who want alcohol with dinner have to go to Layton and still drive through Syracuse to get home.

"I hope they see what they're putting at risk here," he said of the petition sponsors.

So far, a Winger's restaurant and a local golf course have applied for beer licenses. The potential Winger's location, within a 10-acre parcel that will be developed this year with a six-screen movie theater, was the impetus for the ordinance change.

Panucci said he wants to hold the election because the referendum has delayed the Winger's, which would have opened in November.

"We're already having restaurants pull out," he said. "One major restaurant chain has stepped back."

Panucci said he couldn't disclose the other restaurant's name. He acknowledged the election may not happen in June.

The council tonight will discuss the election options during a work meeting immediately preceding the regular council meeting, Panucci said. The discussion will also include advice from City Attorney Todd Godfrey.

Davis County Clerk/Auditor Steve Rawlings sent a letter to Syracuse officials Friday to say he anticipated completing certifications Monday.

"We do not believe that that election can be held in June," Rawlings said, after checking with state elections director Michael Cragun and Davis County chief deputy civil attorney Gerald Hess.

State code says that the clerk/auditor must return certifications to a city at least 60 days before an election can be held. The next general election date is June 26, 49 days from Monday.

But Joseph Demma, chief of staff to Utah Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, who has purview over elections, said the 60-day rule is there to make sure people are educated about an issue.

A city can hold an election within less time, and state code affixes no penalty for that, Demma said.

"I think the penalty is a misinformed public," he said.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com