After hearing from downtown bar owners, the Anoka City Council backed off a proposed $5,000 fee for bars closing at 2 a.m. and instead passed a $500 late bar fee Monday night.
"We didn't want to drive anyone out of business, but we have high costs for policing in that area," said Mayor Phil Rice. "We wanted to send a clear message to owners that we want them to hold their clientele to responsible behavior."
This year only two bars, Billy's and the Jackson Street Grill and Bar, have paid the fee to stay open past 1 a.m., which has been $300.
Rice noted that some taxpayers objected to subsidizing police overtime for weekend patrols in the newly designated downtown entertainment district where fights near bars broke out several times last year, including Halloween night, requiring police backup from neighboring cities.
However, Rice added, the city's bars pay a basic liquor license fee of about $5,000 each, which covers much of the cost of extra police patrols that last year totaled $37,000 for the entertainment district, mostly on Jackson Street. The district has added two more bars this year, bringing the total to seven in the two blocks between City Hall and the County Courthouse.
Resident Pat Walker, who attended Monday's meeting, said the $500 late fee is a token amount as far as covering extra police costs. He said he was more impressed that the council voted to install surveillance cameras to deter crime in the city parking ramp behind four of the Jackson Street bars.
Walker, a city Housing and Redevelopment Authority commissioner, said he realizes it would be hard on bar owners in a tough economy to have the late fee raised by thousands of dollars. Still, he said, the $200 fee increase "will not cover the cost if there is another event like Halloween."
Police Chief Phil Johanson said the bar district has been pretty quiet since Halloween, which is typical over the winter months. He said citations are down so far this year from a year ago in the Jackson Street area: two assaults, five disorderly conducts and one drinking in public in the past five months.
If late-night fights resume, Rice noted, the council can revisit the late closing fee. He said he suspects more bars will apply for late hours and pay the $500 fee to compete with the two bars that have them. But so far, no other bars have shown interest, Johanson said.
"We picked $500 to be as understanding as we can," Rice said. "I think the higher fee would have been tough for them to handle." He said $500 is the top end for late bar fees charged by neighboring cities of Ramsey, Andover and Coon Rapids.
The council unanimously approved the liquor ordinance changes on first reading Monday. The changes will become effective after a second reading June 15.
Rice said the council also amended the ordinance to require late-closing bars on weekend nights and certain holidays to have at least one bouncer on duty from 11 p.m. until closing, and to have one bouncer at each exit from 1 a.m. until closing.
Another change will require that any of the seven bars that use plastic beverage cups must, from 10 p.m. on, provide cups with the bar name or other identification on the cups. That will enable police to identify which bars let patrons take drinks outside, which is illegal.
Jim Adams • 612-673-7658
