Iowa City’s 21-only bar law likely headed to voters

Iowa City voters this fall likely will have their second chance in three years to decide whether people younger than 21 should be allowed in bars at night.

A petition drive seeking to repeal a new law recently approved by the City Council that bans people younger than 21 from bars after 10 p.m. has gathered enough signatures, City Clerk Marian Karr said Thursday.

The law took effect June 1. Previously, people 19 and older were allowed in bars at night.

The petition organizers, known as Y.E.S.S. (Yes to Entertaining Students Safely), turned in about 3,300 signatures in mid-May, but Karr said they were more than 1,200 short of the required 2,500 valid signatures.

The group had 15 days to get more signatures, and Karr said Thursday she certified the petition with 2,961 valid signatures.

The council must now decide whether to repeal the law itself – an unlikely scenario given that the measure passed 6-1 – or send it to voters. Mayor Matt Hayek, who said he was not surprised that the petition was successful, expects the council to put the issue on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Led by strong student turnout, a 21-only proposal was defeated 58 percent to 42 percent in 2007. Earlier this year, the council, encouraged by University of Iowa officials, revisited the issue, with a majority saying a 21-only law could help combat binge and underage drinking.

The council must act on the petition within 30 days, and it is expected to discuss the matter at its next meeting, July 12.

Tom Lenoch, a manager at three downtown bars and a member of Y.E.S.S., said the law has already hurt bars and other businesses like food cart vendors and taxicab companies. He plans to encourage representatives from those businesses to attend the July 12 council meeting and ask the council to repeal the ordinance immediately.

“I've done this since 1992,” he said, “and this is the worst summer I've ever seen.”

Lenoch said Y.E.S.S. has just started to develop plans for canvassing voters.