Naperville Postpones Vote on Alcohol Sales

Lawmakers consider closing bars earlier

Last call for alcohol remains the same in Naperville for now, but there are some slight changes to the way people can party late at night in the western suburb.

The City Council did not vote on a bill Tuesday that would have forced bars and restaurants to close earlier, limits entry and re-entry, and sets limits on the amount of ounces for a single serving of beer and cocktails.

Lawmakers did vote to limit drink specials to no more than 50 percent off the original price.

Several business owners attended the meeting to voice their opinions.

"I know it's a city ordinance so it has to be citywide, but I still want to be able to serve a responsible adult a 22 ounce bomber of a solid Belgian beer," said Ben Baggette, the owner of World of Beer.

"It isn't an issue inside the hotel. The reason you're there at midnight or 1 a.m. in the morning is because you're staying inside the hotel," Marriott GM Dan Gustafson said.

A committee will take another look at the bill for a future vote. Currently, businesses must stop serving alcohol by 1 a.m. weekdays and 2 a.m. on the weekends, but some lawmakers have been in favor of pushing it back 30 or 60 minutes.

The bill was prompted after several incidents of late night violence in the downtown area, and a fatal accident in July where a car crashed into a Naperville quarry. The driver was charged with DUI and two of his passengers were killed.

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