Posted: 6/25/03

No 2 a.m. closing time for FL bars

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

The last call for alcohol will not be extended an hour in the city of Forest Lake.

The city council agreed Monday night to keep the 1 a.m. bar closing rather than switch to 2 a.m. as the Legislature allowed in the last session.

ìThe city really gets nothing from it,î City Administrator Chip Robinson said. ìI think itís a real problem. We donít have convention centers here that need to compete.î

While he saw no benefits from the change, Robinson said the switch would require alteration of police officer schedules and additional cost to the city for overtimes. He also said the extra hour of consumption would increase the incidents officers would need to respond to.

Kevin Tacheny, owner of Willows on the Water, said he was not for a 2 a.m. bar closing. ìI donít want it. I donít even want to think about having to compete with downtown bars. I think itís a bad idea,î he said.

However, Bo Bogotty, owner of Players Beach Club and Upperdeck, said he was for extended hours.

He planned to keep Upperdeck open until 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and until 2 a.m. the same days at Players Beach Club.

ìI think itís an all win situation,î Bogotty said. ìI think it would be good for everybody.î

Bogotty said staying open extended hours would lessen the amount of patrons driving to Wisconsin to get last call there. Too, he said the city could benefit from the sales tax.

Staying open later, Bo reasoned would spread out when drivers left, rather than all at once.

While passage of the bill brought funding for an additional 50 Minnesota State Troopers, cities were not factored into the benefit.

Liquor has a 9 percent sales tax, rather than the 6.5 percent. While the city, theoretically, would benefit via sales tax, Robinson said it is too little to matter, especially considering the cuts to the budget due to the lack of aid.

The city will be short four officers by 2004ómeaning even less officers available to respond to the expected increase in calls.

ìIt would be different if the extra monies actually made it back to the city, but they donít,î Robinson said.

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