East Dubuque Mayor Kirk Van Ostrand is not pleased with the City Council after it voted not to move the closing time for four bars earlier than its current closing time of 3:30am. During a meeting Monday, council members weighed a recommendation by City Manager Loras Herrig calling for the elimination of the city’s class B liquor license — and with it, the ability of those license holders to stay open until 3:30 a.m. Four taverns now have those licenses. Meanwhile, other liquor license holders in the city must close at 1:30 a.m. Under Herrig’s proposal, all license holders would close at 2 a.m. After the meeting Van Ostrand said, “I’m ashamed to be mayor knowing that I have council members that voted for crime, violence and murders for the citizens of East Dubuque.” Herrig said he recommended the move in an effort to reduce the high volume of violence that occurs downtown after 2 a.m.
