Council introduces ordinance to loosen park alcohol-permit rules; debate centers on Mohawks security and off-duty officers

The clerk introduced Ordinance 5 of 2026 (introduction) to amend section 167-4g of the Amsterdam city code, eliminating the current requirement that an applicant contract with an off-duty police officer for special permits to serve alcohol in parks and removing the requirement for a roped-off area or tent enclosure. The ordinance text as read into the record included the provision that "an applicant must contract with an off duty police officer to aid the crowd control" as part of the existing code the ordinance seeks to modify. A public hearing on the ordinance was scheduled for May 26 at 5:30 p.m.

The mayor said the change was prompted by an increase in the cost of hiring off-duty officers that "more than doubled" the Mohawks' expense; he said that, under the proposed code change, the club could choose to hire private security instead. The police chief (S6) said he had concerns about removing police officers from stadium security but acknowledged the reasons driving the proposal: "we we have not had any incidents at the games," the chief said, arguing that the uniformed officers contributed to that record. Parks staff (S7) clarified that the code defines the special-use permit process for parks and that permitting authority and signatories differ from the golf commission.

Council members and staff discussed whether the roped-off-area requirement should apply universally to all parks or be handled case-by-case in the special-use permitting process. No final action on the ordinance was recorded in these segments beyond the introduction and the scheduling of the public hearing.