The change in the county beer law that allows businesses to now sell beer within 800 feet of a church, school or place of public gathering brought a busy night for the DeKalb County Beer Board Thursday.Five applications for new beer permits were submitted at the meeting last week.Viva Gail Johnson of Jewel's Market and Pizza, Back 9 LLC (DBA Riverwatch) and Jesus Villa of the Stop Market, LLC filed applications for permits for both on-and-off-premises sales.Debra W. Sacran of D & D Market on Short Mountain Highway, and Araceli Godinez Soto of Nicole's Market on Short Mountain Highway filed applications for off-premises permits.Harrell Tolbert, Dick Knowles, Jim Stagi, Mack Harney, and Edward Frazier all voted to accept the applications for consideration, while Frank Thomas voted against acceptance. Robert Rowe was absent.The board will take final action on the applications at their next scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. on April 5 at the courthouse.The recent law change cleared the way for the businesses, once ineligible for permits because of their proximity to churches, to apply for permits.The county commission voted 7-5 last week to rescind the old 2,000-foot rule that had been on the books since 1939 and replace it with an 800-foot minimum distance as the required measurement between establishments that sell beer and a church, school or public gathering place.The method for measuring the distance remains a direct line (as the crow flies) from the nearest point to the nearest point of the two buildings.In other beer board activity, 6th District member Harrell Tolbert resigned from his seat on the board because of redistricting.Tolbert was moved from the 6th District to the 5th District during the recent redistricting process, and can no longer serve on the board as representative of the 6th District.A new member will have to be appointed to replace Tolbert.