Oakwood residents will have a busy ballot Nov. 8.

City Council voted Monday night to set an election for three council seats and hold a referendum on Sunday alcohol sales.

Oakwood followed other area governments, including South Hall neighbor Flowery Branch, in allowing residents to decide on the alcohol issue.

After years of debate and hearing opposition from different groups, the Georgia General Assembly decided this year to give local governments the option of putting the matter to a public vote.

The Oakwood council passed a resolution calling for the referendum without any discussion.

Many restaurants and bars in Georgia already sell alcohol on Sunday. The new law would let voters approve the sales by grocery and convenience stores.

Oakwood’s law specifically would allow the sales between 12:30 and 11:30 p.m.

Also, an election will be held to fill Post 3, 4 and 5 City Council seats now held, respectively, by Gary Anderson, Martha Collins and Montie Robinson Sr. Their four-year terms end on Dec. 31.

Outside of Monday’s meeting, Anderson said he hasn’t decided yet whether he will seek re-election. Collins and Robinson both said they plan to run again.

“I’d like to get one more term in before calling it quits,” said Robinson, who has served on the council since the 1970s. “I’d like to be part of what’s going on and continuing the best that we can.”

The council also set qualifying for 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 29-31 at City Hall, 4035 Walnut Circle, in downtown Oakwood, and a filing fee of $216.

In other business, the council approved the basic framework for new design standards covering a 250-acre downtown area.

The standards will govern how the area develops as part of Oakwood 2030, a long-term plan that foresees construction of multiuse and commercial buildings as well as redevelopment of other, older parts of town.

Highlights of the 2030 plan include an amphitheater, a multistory City Hall and a commuter rail station that would sit along the railroad tracks running through the heart of the town. It also features connecting trails, parks and green spaces.

B+C Studios of Cobb County worked as the city’s consultant on the project and will give a presentation later to the City Council.

As part of the effort, city officials looked at other cities, such as Smyrna in Cobb County and Suwanee in Gwinnett County, that have adopted high standards for certain types of development.