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Winters council adopts downtown social district ordinance after heated public input
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment and detailed questions about enforcement, hours and liability, the Winters City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 26-02 to create a downtown social (entertainment) district with wristbands, branded cups and an operations plan to be reviewed after the season.
The Winters City Council voted unanimously May 5 to adopt Ordinance 26-02 establishing a downtown entertainment or “social” district that will allow customers to carry alcohol within a defined area during set hours.
The measure, introduced by city manager Craig and backed by local business owners, formalizes practices the city allowed during the pandemic and sets operational rules including no outside alcohol, ID checks and wristbanding, use of specific cup materials, and a requirement that businesses report incidents to the police chief within 24 hours. The ordinance approves an operations plan the city and chamber will use to run a pilot season and return to council with a season-end review.
City manager Craig said the ordinance stems from state legislation (SB 969) that opened the option for cities statewide. “This was designed initially to mirror what we’re already doing for the street closure on Main Street,” he said,…
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