[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]At a meeting Tuesday, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz re-emphasized his desire to have State Street taverns voluntarily close an hour-and-a-half early during Halloween festivities Saturday, Oct. 29, due to daylight saving time.
Cieslewicz, along with the Madison Police Department, highlighted previous bar-time disturbances as a significant problem stemming from a lack of compliance from State Street establishments.
The mayor said he will continue to work with local taverns to urge them to move the clocks back to the "real" 2 a.m. end-time.
"This will allow us to save some costs by ending the evening about an hour earlier than it would otherwise end," he said.
But Barb Mercer, president of the Dane County Tavern League, said downtown bars have not agreed to the mayor's request because changing bar-time would have little effect on the influx of State Street activity.
"There are over 60,000 people out on State Street during Halloween, but State Street bars hold only a maximum of 4,000 patrons," Mercer said. "The people on the streets will not be getting into the taverns, and the tavern patrons are like a drop in a bucket of water. From our point of view, we'd be taking an unfair financial hit."
Due to daylight savings on Oct. 29, bar owners can legally keep their establishments open an extra hour.
Wray said he signed on to the mayor's request to close early, citing three reasons.
"By the second day of the event, our officers are dead-tired, and asking them to work any more extended hours is asking a lot," Wray said. "Problems usually occur on the second day of the event, so closing earlier could put a stop to problems before they start. Finally, the additional costs for staffing the event for extended periods of time are great."
Last year's celebration cost the MPD $500,000, and costs are expected to increase this year because the department will be required to staff additional personnel, Wray said.
According to Wray, the extra personnel would be used to deal with house parties downtown, enhance arrest processing and strengthen numbers on State Street.
In dealing with frequent house parties during the weekend, the MPD will use the same tactics they employed at this year's Mifflin Street Block Party, which included identifying and stopping illegal parties and ticketing the houses at a later date, Wray said.
Capt. Mary Schauf said extra personnel will aid in crowd control and law enforcement as in previous years.
The city will also strictly pursue those who violate the law, including those carrying open intoxicants and glass. City Attorney Michael May urged students who commit a crime to be prepared for punishment.
With a large number of partygoers being students, Eric Varney, chair of Associated Students of Madison, said the student population wants to cooperate with city officials and police, and that students have three concerns.
"We don't want to see anyone hurt, die or see any damage to property," Varney said. "We also want to see the Halloween celebration next year, and we want to have a good time this year."
ASM will hold an open listening session at 7 p.m. Oct. 6, at the Memorial Union to discuss the Halloween festivities with students.