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Council debates late-night restaurant hours, asks police for time-specific incident data
Summary
Council revisited a proposed local law limiting restaurant hours to reduce late-night disorder; staff and the police chief discussed data showing more arrests in 2024 than 2023 and council directed staff to revise the notice and provide incident counts for the 2–5 a.m. window before a public hearing.
Council resumed discussion of a proposed local law to limit late-night restaurant hours and agreed to revise the draft before sending it to a public hearing. The draft under consideration would limit restaurant operating hours in a —limited hours of operation district,— but several councilmembers urged making the rule citywide and adjusting the reopening time.
The police chief reported a rise in arrests downtown between 2023 and 2024, saying, "2023 was a total of 1,033 arrests. 2024 was 1,413 arrests." Councilmembers asked staff to extract incident counts for the overnight hours (2 a.m. to 4 or 5 a.m.) so the public hearing can be informed by data. Council agreed to remove the already-noticed resolution from the current agenda, make the drafting changes (citywide scope and 2–5 a.m. window were suggested), and bring an amended resolution back for discussion and formal placement on the calendar for public hearing.
The city manager and council emphasized the policy must balance public-safety concerns and the interests of small businesses; staff will prepare a map showing which streets would be affected and supply the police data requested prior to the hearing.
