Last call at bars in Saratoga County could come a bit earlier in the near future.
Taps at bars throughout Saratoga County are currently shut off at 4 a.m.
For years, there have been calls especially in Saratoga Springs to set an earlier last call.
Several late-night safety incidents in the city over the years, including a 2022 police shooting involving an off-duty Rutland, Vermont sheriff’s deputy, as well as a number of stabbings, have stoked concerns.
At a city council meeting this month, Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll presented a proposal that would begin to move county leadership toward earlier closing times.
“Whereas Saratoga Springs’ success as a recreation and entertainment destination owes much to its local bars and restaurants, our city’s many eating and drinking establishments serve our residents and visitors year-round and all through the day and the evening. It is unfortunate that in recent years the service of alcoholic beverages into the late hours has create unprecedented problems in our city. Despite efforts from city authorities and bar owners intoxication in our downtown area continues, threats are more numerous, and when large crowds gather the potential for serious injury is greater,” said Coll.
Coll added that reduced hours would help contain overtime costs — a point of contention in budget discussions at the end of last year.
“To reduce the hours or change the hours to earlier closing times has the potential certainly for us to reduce overtime as well as keep officers safer, reduce injuries that may occur during fights, etcetera. And I’ve also spoken with Saratoga County Sheriff Mike Zurlo who also supports earlier closing times as well,” said Coll.
Republican Matt Veitch represents the city on the county board of supervisors. He’s long supported an update to the county’s closing times. The state liquor authority would have to approve a county-level recommendation.
Veitch said it’ll be important to balance the interest of bar owners throughout the county with public safety.
“It is definitely going to be earlier than 4 a.m. I’m not sure exactly what the final debate will be at the county level. It won’t be a blanket 2 a.m. year-round. But we’ll try to see if we can figure out a way to protect their interests as well as limit the impact on public safety and other things that the council has been discussing over the years. I think one thing that will remain is 4 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, but other than that it’ll be earlier,” said Veitch.
Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus says after about a decade of conversation, a compromise appears to be at hand.
“I think from the bar and restaurant perspective, especially those that have a good book of business that does go later into the night, for our convention and meeting folks that come here, the weddings that we host, having a downtown nightlife that goes late, is fun, safe, is actually important to or local economy particularly in downtown Saratoga Springs. So, we have to do everything we can to make sure we don’t lose that,” said Shimkus.
The city’s population nearly triples during the summer’s horse racing meet at Saratoga Race Course, a vital period for local businesses.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Veitch floated a potential closing time adjustment that would set a 3 a.m. last call between May and October, while bars in the city would close at 2 a.m. November through April.
Veitch said the ideal start date would be January 1st, 2026.
“We would like to give the bars and others some time to prepare for it, so I think the better idea would be to go from January 1st. And I think probably the supervisors would agree on that and leaving it at that as we proposed it would probably work the best in terms of the vote,” said Veitch.
A public hearing on the proposed changes will be held at a Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Law and Finance Committee meeting in the coming months.