College students will get to stay at bars one hour longer starting next month, following a Lincoln City Council vote Monday to extend the Lincoln bar closing time from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m.
The 6-1 vote goes into effect at 6 a.m. on Sept. 17.
Councilman Adam Hornung spoke in favor of the change and said that he appreciated all of the testimony from the public. A lot of people were very passionate about the change, he said
"I think this is going to be a good opportunity for the city," Hornung said.
Many in opposition to the change cited the possibility of alcohol abuse by those staying out one hour later, but the government cannot regulate morality, Councilman Doug Emery said. He said that when he was under 21 in Nebraska he drove to Kansas, where the drinking age was 18.
"I don't know how you protect someone from themselves," Emery said.
Councilman John Spatz complimented the bar owners who spoke in favor of the change. The responsibility will now be with the owners, he said.
"I'm confident they will handle this professionally and appropriately," Spatz said.
The City Council isn't supporting irresponsible drinking, Councilwoman Jayne Snyder said. The Internal Liquor Committee currently has an hour-by-hour status of data with statistics such as admissions to detox.
"We're not doing this irresponsibly," Snyder said.
Councilman Jonathan Cook, the only council member to vote against the change, said that safety was the number one concern, more important than additional revenue or adding more entertainment to Lincoln.
Spatz agreed that revenue wasn't the biggest concern, he said. A concern was that Lincoln would still be at 1 a.m., while cities like Omaha currently have a 2 a.m. closing time.
"Lancaster County is not an island," Spatz said.
Councilman Jon Camp encouraged young people taking advantage of the later closing time to be responsible.
"The key word is responsibility," Camp said.
The Council also voted to add a training course created by the health department that would be required for all servers. The course is expected to be created within the next year. The Internal Liquor Committee will also review data of the effects of extending the closing time and will report any recommendations to the City Council in 2013.
PAIGECORNWELL@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
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