Underage bar entry law proving itself

It's back to the drawing board for Iowa City councilors after the state Alcoholic Beverages Division reversed their decision not to renew a liquor license for the Fieldhouse bar.

City councilors had denied the license renewal because an average of more than one underage patron was cited by police for possession of alcohol, or PAULA, for every police visit to the bar.

But that PAULA ratio isn't enough to show a lack of good moral character, as it was intended to do, Division Administrator Stephen Larson recently ruled.

City councilors now must decide whether to appeal the administrator's decision or tweak the policy. They're expected to discuss the issue later this month.

But their decision might not make much difference, if voters decide to keep on the books another new ordinance barring underage people from bars after 10 p.m.

Statistics show that PAULA citations have plummeted since June 1, when the city ordinance took effect. If the trend holds, and the 21-only ordinance survives this fall's referendum, it could be much more effective at combating underage drinking in bars.

That's something for voters to consider.

City leaders have struggled for years to reduce underage and binge drinking in Iowa City, trying a number of different approaches.

The PAULA ratio, city leaders felt, was a fair way to gauge how well bar staff were keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors, Assistant City Attorney Eric Goers told us this week. Although it was a new idea, city legal staff were optimistic the policy would hold because it was a matter of local control.

But bar owners who were denied renewal under the policy appealed, and last December an administrative law judge overturned the denials, noting that the PAULA rate was based on allegations - not convictions - made against bar patrons - not employees.

The ratio didn't prove that bar owners or employees were aware that underage patrons were drinking or possessing alcohol, the judge ruled. Recently the state Alcoholic Beverages Division upheld that ruling.

But what the PAULA ratio does show is that some bar staff are not successfully controlling underage access to alcohol. What does? Raising the bar-entry age.

In the first month since the 21-only ordinance took effect, police made 144 visits to Iowa City bars and cited only seven people for possessing alcohol under the legal age.

Compare that to much-higher figures from past summers: In June 2009, police made 49 bar visits and cited 24 patrons for PAULA. In June 2008, police cited 41 bar patrons during only 33 visits.

Early signs are clear: The 21-only ordinance is working.

If bar staff can't be expected to keep alcohol away from minors in their establishments, it only makes sense to raise the entry age to 21.