Decision to put curbs on 5 a.m. bars put off

The Little Rock Board of Directors won't vote on proposals concerning the city's late-night clubs and bars until Sept. 16.

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The issue was on Tuesday night's agenda, but state law mandates ordinances be read at three separate occasions unless a two-thirds majority of the governing body votes to suspend the rules.

Since At-large City Director Gene Fortson and Ward 3 City Director Stacy Hurst were absent from Tuesday's meeting, and Ward 7 City Director B.J. Wyrick has recused herself from the 5 a.m. club discussion, there was not a two-thirds majority of the 10-director board available to suspend the rules. Wyrick's son-in-law works at the law firm that employs an attorney for several clubs.

After Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola informed a packed boardroom Tuesday that there would likely be no discussion on the matter by city directors, nearly half of the audience left before two competing ordinances on the matter were brought up.

Of the 13 establishments in Little Rock that have a special state permit to serve alcohol until 5 a.m., only nine are active. Those are Midtown Billiards, Electric Cowboy, Club Elevations, Discovery, Triniti, Salut, Paper Moon, Jazzi's and the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. Of those, Jazzi's elects to close by 3 a.m., and the Eagles club rarely stays open past midnight.

The two ordinances dealing with 5 a.m. clubs will be read for a second time at the board's 6 p.m. meeting Sept. 2 and then for a final time at the 6 p.m. meeting Sept. 16, at which a vote will be taken.

Ward 4 City Director Brad Cazort and Fortson proposed one option last week that would mandate private clubs close at 2 a.m. most days and 3 a.m. on weekends and federal holidays, citing numerous statistics that indicate the presence of late-night crime as their reasoning.

A competing ordinance offered by City Manager Bruce Moore in May wouldn't limit club hours but would put in place certain security requirements and give the police chief more enforcement power. Moore's ordinance is preferred by the club owners, who had a hand in writing that proposal.

That ordinance requires a minimum of two certified law enforcement officers outside the 5 a.m. clubs from midnight until closing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. If any club currently employs more than that minimum, it must continue to do so unless it receives a waiver by the police chief. The ordinance also states that the clubs must employ an "adequate" number of security personnel inside, but doesn't define what adequate is. The security personnel inside the club do not have to be certified law enforcement officers. The Little Rock Police Department has a policy that off-duty officers cannot work inside a club or bar.

Moore's proposal also gives the police chief more enforcement power. If a violent felony occurs at the club, the chief can mandate that the club employ more security outside the club. Any of the requirements set by the chief can be appealed to the city manager.

Several directors indicated Tuesday their desire for Cazort and Fortson to meet with Moore and the club industry in order to find a compromise to join the two proposals rather than having two competing ordinances on an agenda.

Metro on 08/20/2014

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