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| Atlanta City Council member Mary Norwood said she was 'disappointed' the council
voted this week to end alcohol sales at 2:30 a.m., instead of adopting her proposal
for a 2 a.m. last call. (Photo by R.O. Youngblood)
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: RYAN LEE
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Bar owners took one on the chin early Tuesday in their fight to keep pouring
alcohol until 4 a.m., as the Atlanta City Council approved a 2:30 a.m. last call
for every day except Sunday.
The new ordinance takes effect Jan. 1, when businesses that sell alcohol for "on
premises consumption" must close by 3 a.m. instead of the current 4 a.m.
State law prohibits the sale of alcohol in bars on Sundays; restaurants and
other venues can sell alcohol until midnight that day.
But the last call issue may not be dead, as the legislation mandating the
earlier closing time was part of a compromise that said alcohol licenses issued,
renewed or transferred for 2004 are effective from Jan. 1 to March 31. After
that, the City Council could revisit the issue as license holders must apply
for another alcohol license that would be valid for the remainder of the calendar
year.
Gay bar owners reacted soberly to the new legislation.
"It's disappointing, but it could've been worse," said Reggie Thomas,
general manager at Club Image on North Avenue. "I think if bar owners
explain to their patrons what all is going on, they'll come out earlier to
support them."
Michael Clutter, owner of Bulldogs on Peachtree Street, continues to fear
his patrons will head outside the city limits.
"It's a half-hour difference, but I'm still surrounded by communities
open 'til four, and that's going to have a devastating impact," Clutter
said.
The 2:30 a.m. last call and 3 a.m. closing time represented a compromise of
sorts. Earlier legislation proposed a 2 a.m. cutoff for alcohol sales, two
hours earlier than currently allowed.
"We were still hoping for 4 o'clock, but we also knew that was dead," said
Warren Bruno, a founder of the Atlanta Licensed Beverage Council, a group of
bar and restaurant owners formed two months ago. "That half hour is a
huge difference though, and we're hoping people will stay in Atlanta [to go
clubbing]."
The resolution that passed limiting alcohol licenses to the first three months
of 2004 replaced a proposal supported by gay Council member Anne Fauver that
would have created a three-month moratorium on all alcohol licenses in Buckhead.
"If we find solutions within the next three months, this council can
revisit this issue of bar owners," said Council member Ceasar Mitchell.
Fauver, who heads a subcommittee with Council member Natalyn Archibong that
is reviewing the city’s current liquor licensing laws, said Wednesday
she directed her energy toward creating the temporary licenses for 2004 to
provide an additional three months to work on compromises. The city can reconsider
closing times if bar owners raise money for police, or the city develops a
tiered licensing system by that time, she added.
"We have three months to see what kind of changes we can make, and then
there may be the possibility of having some of the bars stay open later," Fauver
said. "The 2 a.m. closings had enough votes to pass, and so if I hadn't
voted for the compromise, all of the bars would have closed at 2."
Renewed debate
Early Tuesday, as a marathon City Council session that started Monday continued,
council members prepared to consider the measure proposed by Martin and Council
member Mary Norwood to stop the sale of alcohol at 2 a.m.
But Mitchell substituted a proposal calling for the 2 a.m. cutoff, while forcing
bars to close at 2:30 a.m., instead of the 3 a.m. deadline found in the original
measure.
Mitchell called his proposal a compromise because it would have forced council
members to revisit the issue by their last meeting in 2004, giving bar owners
the hope of change.
With current law allowing bars to serve alcohol on weekdays from 9 a.m. one
day to 4 a.m. the following day, and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2:55 a.m.,
several council members said Mitchell's proposal favored the city and residents
too heavily.
"Where's the compromise?" asked Council member Debi Starnes. "The
[alcohol cutoff time] is still at two, so that's not much of a compromise.
Why should [bar owners] keep working at the table if you've already sort of
strangled them."
The City Council has debated bar closing times since early 2000, when there
were two homicides in Buckhead Village in festivities following the Super Bowl
at the Georgia Dome. Since 2000, nine people have been killed in the popular
party spot, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
Two homicides outside a Buckhead Village club last month renewed attention
to earlier bar closing efforts. Proponents, including gay City Council President
Cathy Woolard and Mayor Shirley Franklin, ...
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