ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Bartenders in St. Charles are concerned about the latest plan served up by several City Council members to control the way late night joins operate on the historic Main Street.
At the next city council meeting, a new proposal will be introduced that would set up a St. Charles Liquor Commission, and along with it, all sorts of new rules and regulations for late night bars.
The proposal, authored by Councilman Dave Beckering, specifically targets three blocks on Main Street that feature 18 bars that remain open until 1:30 a.m.
The plan stipulates they won't issue any new liquor licenses until the number of bars in those three blocks drops down to just six.
This isn't sitting well with many customers and managers.
" I don’t get it, I really don’t," Charles Fulford said. "This sounds like another big government proposal to pick winners and losers."
"What we’re trying to encourage is there be more restaurants and less nightclubs," said Councilman Beckering.
Beckering said the existing 18 bars can stay open as long as they follow the new rules.
"If you should decide to voluntarily close your business or if you should be revoked for something under the point system, then those businesses would not be able to go into that building with a new liquor license until we’re down to 6," he explains.
The list of new rules includes 29 different violations. Each one has a different point value.
Someone gets into a fight at your bar? That will cost you 2 points.
Serving alcohol to a minor? That's 3 points.
Many of these minor violations can add up pretty quickly. You can only get 6.5 points every 6 months.
That means all it would take for five people to bring liquor out to the sidewalk, at 1.5 points per violation, to get a bar shut down for good.
The General Manager of Big A's on the River says he's fine with most of those rules. The one he's concerned about the most is the fact businesses will be required to prove at least 60 percent of their revenue comes from food sales and no more than 40 percent from alcohol sales.
"The 60-40 concerns me. I think to reach that number, they will lower liquor prices and raise food prices just to get to that percentage," says A.J. Felder.
Councilman Beckering admits he knows this is controversial, but said it's all about keeping people on both sides of the bar, safe on Main Street.
"When there are that many people out at 1:30 in the morning, there tend to be issues with that," he says.
Councilman Beckering will introduce this at the next City Council meeting on Aug. 14.
Interestingly enough, the bill is co-sponsored by five other council members, meaning, as long as no one changes their mind, the move has enough votes to pass.
Councilman Beckering said it would be St. Charles Police enforcing these rules.
