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The Louisville metro board is expected to vote this week on whether to increase the number of officers who regulate bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.
The proposed prescription would give the Louisville Metro Codes and Regulations Department an additional $ 388,000 to hire three more Alcoholic Beverage Enforcement (ABC) officers. The new officers would patrol at night and on weekends, targeting nightlife establishments that create a risk to public safety.
District 8 council member Cassie Chambers Armstrong is sponsoring the proposal. Chambers Armstrong, who makes up most of the Bardstown Road bar district, lobbied for changes in the area after three people were shot and killed there over a two-month period this summer.
“Not all establishments, but some places make money by having very flexible policies around gun control, gun control and letting people carry those guns in situations that then escalate. “she said. “We shouldn’t let people make money by creating risks to public safety and situations where people die.”
Chambers Armstrong had originally proposed a plan for temporarily withdraw the “last call” from Louisville from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. in order to fight against nighttime violence. After many public meetings and discussions with local bar owners, she proposed a new plan who called for fines and further action against companies that serve too many customers, allowing drugs to be sold on their premises and failing to enforce the state’s ban on guns in bars.
ABC’s additional enforcement officers would work across town, not just the Highlands. In addition to hiring more ABC enforcement officers, the proposed spending would be used for business training.
“We want to train bartenders, bar staff, bar owners on ‘What do you do when you notice someone has a gun in a bar?’ “What do you do every time an argument breaks out and things start to escalate, whether it’s in your establishment or on the sidewalk in front of it?” Said Chambers Armstrong.
“We have needed help for a long time.
The Louisville metro currently has only six ABC law enforcement officers.
The six officers oversee more than 1,300 businesses with active liquor licenses, as well as licensed taxis, food truck vendors and pawn shops. They have full police powers, can make arrests and are responsible for enforcing local laws relating to these businesses.
If law enforcement officials discover that a business is breaking local rules, it could face fines or, in some circumstances, revocation of its license. ABC officials say officers tend to focus on educating business owners about the regulations and making follow-up visits to comply.
Lt. Bradley Silveria, who oversees staffing for the ABC law enforcement division, told the Metro Council’s budget committee last week that they were in desperate need of more support.
“We have needed help for a long time,” he said. “We have had the same number of employees since [the 2003] merger. The responsibilities have somewhat increased, but the staff have never really taken responsibility. “
Silveria said the $ 388,000 would allow the division to have three enforcement officers in the community every weekend.
Louisville ABC administrator Robert Kirchdorfer said they hope to make a noticeable difference if city council approves the proposal.
“Just being able to come in and knock on doors, talk to business owners and show that they know we’re there; we believe this will greatly contribute to compliance, ”Kirchdorfer said.
Where will the money come from?
The order initially proposed funding the new ABC agent positions with federal pandemic relief funds. The Louisville metro has yet to decide how to spend most of the $ 388 million it is expected to receive from the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress.
Metropolitan Council and Mayor Greg Fischer agreed earlier this year on a long process identify priority funding areas, create committees to define needs in these categories and issue requests for proposals. Public safety was one of the priority areas.
The proposed ordinance for enforcement agents was the subject of a first hearing last week at the budget committee of the metropolitan council. Many board members, including District 5 representative Donna Purvis, agreed it was necessary.
“I have constituents calling me all the time about some businesses that see underage children being served alcohol and buying alcohol, but we have no enforcement,” Purvis said.
Council chairman David James of District 6 said he would co-sponsor the ordinance.
However, some members disagreed, arguing that the funding should not come from federal COVID aid.
While Anthony Piagentini, a member of the District 19 Metropolitan Council, said he fully supports increased law enforcement, he was in conflict over the source of funding. He recommended that the money come from the city’s general fund budget instead.
“If we think this is a priority and we messed up as a board by not putting it in there, then let’s go back to the budget, find $ 388,000 somewhere and make a budget amendment, instead of moving on. by ARPA, which should be a thoughtful and deliberate process that we have not yet finished executing, ”Piagentini said.
The budget committee voted eight to one to advance the ordinance to a vote by the entire metropolitan council on Thursday. Before moving to the final vote, Chambers Armstrong agreed to amend the ordinance to fund the new enforcement officer positions through the general fund rather than federal COVID aid.
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