St. Paul Council urged to reconsider bar hours

Last update: April 10, 2008 - 12:04 AM

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St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman wants City Council members to get behind a revised proposal allowing bars to remain open until 4 a.m. during the Republican National Convention in September.

The new proposal approved by a House committee Tuesday would permit the later hours from Aug. 31 to Sept. 5 and allows cities to issues permits, charge fees and place limits on which bars can participate.

"If Minneapolis authorizes 4 a.m. bar close and St. Paul stays at 2 a.m., St. Paul's restaurant and bar owner's will be put at a competitive disadvantage," Coleman wrote in a letter to council members Wednesday.

Last week, the council voted 4-3 against an earlier legislative proposal that would have allowed cities within 10 miles of Xcel Energy Center to extend bar hours.

Council Member Lee Helgen said the resolution, which Coleman said Wednesday he won't sign, prompted legislators to introduce a more limited plan.

"As long as they let cities have meaningful control on how to manage it, I'm more supportive," Helgen said. "But I'm not wild about needing to be open to 4."

CHRIS HAVENS

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