The Essex County New York Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution asking the state Liquor Authority to roll back bar closing hours in that county from 4 to 3 am.
The request is a compromise from an original proposal that called for changing legal bar closing hours from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. Town of Schroon Supervisor Mike Marnell, a Republican, had initially opposed any cutback in hours because neighboring Warren County has not decided whether it too will request a change in hours. But Marnell changed his mind.
Marnell not only decided to support the change, he also offered a more restrictive resolution.
The Prevention Team has been lobbying Essex County leaders to support shorter bar hours. Team member Mac MacDevitt says the resolution to reduce bar hours will create a firewall in the county.
MacDevitt percieves the county’s resolution as a first step towards even shorter hours.
Just to the south, a committee of the Warren County Board of Supervisors defeated a similar resolution asking for approval of a 3 a.m. last call. But Glens Falls Ward 5 Supervisor Bill Kenny plans to submit a new proposal at the full board’s meeting next week.
Kenny says supporters wanted 2 a.m. closures, but 3 a.m. is a compromise that appears to be workable.
The Adirondack Daily Enterprise has reported that law enforcement officials in Essex County support the proposal to close bars at 2 am.
The state Liquor Authority will hold public hearings in counties that pass resolutions requesting a change in bar hours. Meanwhile, a recent plan to roll back closing time in busy Saratoga Springs ultimately went nowhere.
