Earlier this summer, the city spoke.
Making a decision to deny renewing liquor-licenses of two downtown establishments — Et Cetera and 3rd Base Sports Bar — Iowa City City Councilors have made a clear statement: They are serious about holding bars responsible for serving underage patrons.
“It’s time for us to step up,” Iowa City Mayor Regenia Bailey told councilors before voting against the renewals. “Enough is enough.”
But their decision hasn’t kept the bars from running. Despite the license denials, the two businesses are allowed to remain open until the state hands down its final decision.
The City Council’s decision has sent a wave of concern through the lines of bars downtown. Owners are working to reduce underage drinking tickets at a time when each citation counts.
Since the July 28 City Council meeting, both bars have appealed to the state, said Lynn Walding, the administrator of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division. The state Department of Inspection and Appeals must now set a date for the appeal within 60 days from when the bars filed their complaints, Walding said.
Et Cetera, 118 S. Dubuque St., and 3rd Base, 111 E. College St., were the first to face the City Council and have their liquor- licenses denied since new guidelines went into effect on July 1. Under the criteria, Iowa City Police Chief Sam Hargadine must recommend the City Council deny the renewal of a liquor license if a bar exceeds a ratio of one PAULA per police visit.
The council implemented the guidelines used to consider several criteria instead of only PAULA ratios. They are meant to give a systematic approach to an issue Iowa City is known to face — underage drinking in the downtown bar scene, Bailey said.
George Etre, the owner of Et Cetera, said he was shocked when City Clerk Marian Karr told him he was the first bar to go up against new city guidelines and that his bar was being recommended for denial by council on the basis of his PAULA ratio.
Etre withdrew his application, and Et Cetera was taken off the council agenda list for the week of July 4 and rescheduled for July 28.
“I needed to come up with some kind of case or something,” Etre said.
Third Base owners did not return numerous phone calls seeking comment.
As July 28 approached, Etre worked with his legal team to prepare for the meeting.
He requested the council renew his bar’s liquor license, arguing he and his staff had changed their tactics to monitor underage drinking since the new guidelines were explained. He noted Et Cetera’s PAULA per police visit rate dropped from a 1.9 in February to a 1.46 in May. In addition, Et Cetera was not open during the summer, so it didn’t have a chance to continue reducing its ratio, he said.
“If these are the rules to play the game I’d feel comfortable being 21,” Etre said at the meeting.
Councilor Ross Wilburn told Etre it was “admirable” for him to go 21-only but said it still wasn’t enough to change his mind.
The council then denied a liquor-license renewal for 3rd Base on a unanimous vote.
The 3rd Base’s legal team defended the establishment by noting bouncers have confiscated roughly 2,700 fake IDs in recent years.
After the meeting, officials said they weren’t surprised by the lengthy rebuttals by bar owners.
She thinks it will be interesting to see how the next bars will proceed when facing the council, she said.
The Summit, 10 S. Clinton St., is next to ask for a liquor-license renewal in October. It is currently over the PAULA ratio.