The Powell City Council denied a request from bar owners to extend hours on Halloween weekend, but offered a compromise that appeared to address the owners’ concerns.

Five Powell bar owners signed a request heard at the council’s Monday meeting, asking permission to remain open until 4 a.m. on Nov. 1. That was intended to accommodate the larger crowds expected on Halloween night.

Amy Cozzens, owner of K-Bar Saloon, was present at Monday’s meeting to explain the request from the establishments, which also included The Peaks, Backstreet Pub, The Red Stag, and The Red Zone.

“I know we got rid of the all-nighters and in no way do the bars want that back,” Cozzens said.

The bar owners’ concern, Cozzens said, is that a large Halloween night crowd is still celebrating the holiday at 2 a.m., and it can be difficult to get them to leave the bar. They tend not to be regulars but patrons who come out to party for the holiday, she added.

“Last year was a little rough,” Cozzens said.

Powell bars used to be able to remain open all night for a few predetermined days each year. However, the city passed an ordinance in 2017 that requires bars to close from at least 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.

Mayor John Wetzel said the city couldn’t arbitrarily make an exception to the ordinance for any specific date.

City Attorney Sandee Kitchen said the only way the city could permit the exception would be to pass another ordinance that allows for the
exceptions — which would require three readings. So, even if the council was willing to consider such a change to the law, it couldn’t be done in time for Halloween 2019.

“Do we have an appetite for that change?” the mayor asked the other councilors. None expressed support for the idea.

Council President Jim Hilberry asked Cozzens if there are other dates when the bar owners encounter revelers who are difficult to kick out at 2 a.m.; Cozzens said New Year’s Day is about the only other date the problem arises.

Wetzel asked Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt if he’d have any misgivings about allowing for later hours, and the chief suggested it might not be such a good idea.

“I hate to be the fun police,” Eckerdt said, but he said the all-night parties caused a lot of problems for the department.

Cozzens agreed that closing times past 2 a.m. present problems.

“Nothing good happens at 4,” she said.

Wetzel said he wanted to find a way to address the owners’ concerns. He suggested Cozzens advertise ahead of the holiday that the bar would be closing at 2 a.m., helping prepare partiers to get out by then.

Cozzens said bar-goers did seem to be surprised to be asked to leave at 2 a.m. However, with 24-hour bar nights having been eliminated two years ago, there was some uncertainty as to how much impact the notifications would have.

Wetzel then asked Eckerdt if police could do bar walkthroughs around the 2 a.m. close time; the police presence would hopefully make the partiers less resistant to having to go home. Eckerdt said that would not be a problem at all and Cozzens agreed it would make closing less of a headache for the bartenders.

“All right,” Wetzel said. “We’ll try that and see how it goes.”