CENTRE — A quorum of the Centre City Council met at noon today inside City Hall to count provisional ballots from last week’s alcohol referendum and canvass, or certify, the final results. 

Mayor Tony Wilkie called the meeting to order, then explained that councilmen Joe Hall and Frankie Kelly would not be in attendance. Wilkie then directed Assistant City Clerk Sherrie Chandler to open the sealed cardboard box containing just over two dozen provisional ballots cast last Tuesday. 

Provisional ballots are cast by anyone claiming to be eligible, but who does not show up on an updated voter roll. A total of 26 provisional ballots were cast in Centre last Tuesday. With such a small number remaining to add to last week’s vote total, the outcome of the election – 599 yes votes to 496 no votes – was never in doubt.

Still, Chandler worked carefully. She individually opening the sealed envelopes, each of which contained one ballot, before placing them in a pile on a center table. All handling of the provisional ballots was performed under the direction of Al Shumaker, the city’s attorney. 

Chandler then picked up each ballot separately and read the vote aloud to the Council. 

“Yes.” “Yes.” “Yes.” “No.” “Yes.” “No.” 

When Chandler finished, the final tally among the 21 votes – five were disallowed by the County Board of Registrars, for various reasons –was 14 yes to 7 no. Added to the previous total, 613 (55 percent) residents of Centre voted to approve alcohol sales; 503 (45 percent) were opposed. 

With the total counted and confirmed, Wilkie made a motion for a resolution accepting the outcome. Councilman Glen Chandler made the motion, which passed unanimously. 

After the meeting, Wilkie told The Post there are no plans to discuss creation of an alcohol ordinance committee at tonight’s scheduled Council meeting. 

“We will begin that process at our next meeting, in two weeks,” Wilkie said.