ATLANTA — The last call may soon be a little later in Atlanta.
Atlanta City Councilwoman Keisha Waites is pushing a resolution that would extend the time bars can serve in the city.
The current proposal announced Friday would extend serving times from 2:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. Waites says the proposal is focused to try and help bars and clubs hurt by the pandemic.
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“I have received so many calls from bars and restaurants that were devastated by the pandemic, devastated following COVID because of all the months we’ve been closed, that they have simply not been able to rebound,” Waites told Channel 2′s Michael Doudna.
The proposal includes an increase to the licensing fee for alcohol to help pay for more police presence and security cameras to try and prevent an increase in crime.
“We don’t want to do anything that has a negative impact on crime. Here is the reality, if you are someone engaged in bad behavior, I don’t believe at 2:30 you are going to stop,” Waites said.
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The councilwoman says she has received pushback on parts of the resolution and plans to put forward a compromise version that would extend serving hours to 3 a.m. That would be in line with other counties, like DeKalb.
“This is a starter for a conversation. Wherever the public leads us, whatever the public decides is the way we will go with it,” Waites said.
Whether it is 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., bar owners like Johnny Martinez say the extra time will help the bottom line.
“We make almost 40% of our money after midnight. So when I hear this, what I’m hearing is, we are about to improve our bottom line,” Martinez said.
The proposal will be heard in a City Council Subcommittee on Monday. Waites says the proposal will be held until she gets backing from the administration and public input.
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