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Council asks county to seek earlier bar closing times, citing public-safety concerns
Summary
Saratoga Springs Council voted to ask the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors to request the State Liquor Authority restrict on-premise alcohol sales hours; city and county officials and police leaders supported the change as a public-safety measure.
The Saratoga Springs City Council voted to request that the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution asking the New York State Liquor Authority to restrict on-premise alcohol sales hours in the county, a change intended to reduce late-night public-safety incidents.
The resolution asks the county to consider a local change under section 17(11) of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, which allows a county board of supervisors to petition the State Liquor Authority to further limit permitted sales hours. The council's resolution characterizes late-night alcohol service as creating"unprecedented problems" in the city and calls for restrictions on hours as being in the public interest.
Public safety speakers and county supervisors present told the council the Saratoga Springs Command Staff, the county sheriff and the fire department support earlier closing times, noting potential reductions in overtime, injuries and emergency responses. Supervisor Veach and others said the county must act because only the county can submit a resolution to the state on closing hours.
Council members said the change would not be a blanket year-round 2 a.m. cut and that New Year's Eve and other special nights were likely to be handled differently; any precise hours would be decided at the county level and subject to State Liquor Authority review.
The council moved the resolution forward to the county process and will send the text to the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors for consideration.
