By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — City Council has delayed a decision on whether to allow patrons to bring their own alcohol into hookah lounges and on whether to create a new downtown social district.
The measures were laid over after roughly 50 minutes of discussion on Tuesday night. They will return to City Council for potential decision on Monday.
The social district would allow you to stroll between downtown businesses with an alcoholic drink in a special branded cup. That district would only operate until Oct. 31, 2024, unless extended by the City Council. Aldermen voted 11-2 Tuesday to add that sunset stipulation.
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Mayor Tom McNamara said there will be additional garbage cans and garbage pickup to address concerns about litter within the social district.
“As a city if we’re going to embrace this initiative, we as a city also have to step it up when it comes to picking up the litter,” Alderman Chad Tuneberg said. “Let’s hope for its success, but I will be keeping a close eye on it.”
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City Council members discussion around hookah lounges centered largely around whether to limit how many drinks a patron could have at the facility and whether all staff members would be required to undergo BASSET training, which teaches alcohol servers how to do so responsibly.
Aldermen voted 10-3 against enacting a two-drink maximum and 9-4 in favor of the mandatory training.
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Aldermen also expressed concerns about potentially setting a precedent for other businesses to request bring your own booze for their stores.
The matter was set aside for at least a week after Alderman Frank Beach requested it to be laid over so that City Council members could hammer out more of the details on the proposal.
Beach’s motion for a layover was seconded by Tuneberg. City Council rules provide an automatic delay when a layover motion is made and seconded the first time a measure appears before the full City Council.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas