Council commitee: 4 a.m. bar hours study can wait

Is that a tear in your beer?

Without any debate, an Atlanta City Council committee today voted to to tap the brakes on Councilman Kwanza Hall’s proposal to study whether extending bar hours would ease the city’s financial woes and help boost its nightlife.

Two weeks ago, Hall introduced an out-of-the-blue resolution that asked the mayor (and next mayor) to study whether a 4 a.m. last call could add much-needed revenue to Atlanta’s bottom line. The recently re-elected councilman, whose district includes gentrifying neighborhoods that are home to both bars and families, said the city needed to look at other forms of revenue than just property taxes. He wanted to know if the extra cash generated by drink taxes and licensing fees could be used to help pay for public safety or other city services. And in the process, make Atlanta’s nightlife and bar scene just a tad more exciting.

Hall’s colleagues were surprised by the proposal. In 2003, Council made the controversial decision to roll back bar hours from 4 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. after Buckhead residents complained of late-night noise, traffic congestion and crime. Those who remembered that brouhaha were in no mood to relive it.