Law and Finance committee forwards last-call hours proposal to full Saratoga County board after public hearing

The Saratoga County Law and Finance Committee on April 9 voted to forward a proposal asking the New York State Liquor Authority to limit last-call hours in the county to 3 a.m., with a 4 a.m. exception on New Year’s Eve, to the full county board for a final vote.

The measure — introduced as a resolution requesting the New York State Liquor Authority to restrict hours of alcohol sales in Saratoga County — was the subject of a public hearing held before the committee reconvened. Chairman Barrett opened the public hearing and said speakers needed to sign up to testify; the committee then recessed, heard public comment and reconvened to consider whether to move the proposal to the full board.

Committee members and public commenters framed the item as a countywide issue with concentrated public testimony from the City of Saratoga Springs. Supervisor Butler said a uniform single time is “cleaner” for the state and for businesses, adding, “I think that single time, I think 3 is the right time.” Supervisor Tawes said she would vote against sending the change to the full board because she believes business owners should “make the decision when their last call is or when they’re closing.” Chairman Barrett described the history of the issue, noting repeated city requests to the county and earlier attempts to seek state action.

Supervisor Lant moved to send the proposal to the full county board; Supervisor Murray seconded the motion. The committee voted to forward the item to the full board; a numeric tally was not recorded in the meeting transcript. The committee did not adopt a final county rule — it voted only to advance the resolution for a countywide vote next week.

What the proposal would change: the draft language sent to the committee asks the New York State Liquor Authority to set last call at 3 a.m. (no alcohol sales after 3 a.m.) from May through Oct. 31 and allow an extended last call of 4 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. The committee hearing included testimony and written comments both supporting and opposing the change; supporters pointed to public-safety and quality-of-life concerns in Saratoga Springs, while opponents emphasized local business autonomy and differing conditions in other towns.

Next steps: the resolution will appear on the full Saratoga County Board agenda next week for a final vote by the board of supervisors. If the full board approves, the county would be formally requesting that the New York State Liquor Authority implement the requested hours restriction; any state-level change would be required for statewide enforcement.

Speakers during committee discussion and the public hearing included Supervisor Lant (mover), Supervisor Murray (second), Supervisor Butler, Supervisor Tawes, Supervisor Grasso, Supervisor Connolly and Chairman Barrett.