A hearing on a lawsuit filed by a half-dozen Athens bar owners was scheduled for today: at issue is an Athens-Clarke County Commission order that would have forced the bars to close at 10 o’clock at night. A settlement reached late last night sets last call at 11:30, with bars to be cleared by midnight.

The agreement will be ratified in a special called meeting of Athens-Clarke County Commissioners, a session set for later this morning.

From Mo Wiltshire, attorney for the bar owners...

Plaintiffs and Defendants have entered into a settlement agreement that sets forth the following:

• Upon the passage of an ordinance that contains the following provisions
• New Times
• Last call at 11:30
• Clear patrons at 12
• Those times will remain in effect until after the expiration of the Judicial Emergency Order and any extension thereof, at which point those times will revert to the times in effect on July 29, 2020.
• License fees for 2021 and 2022 will be reduced to $1500 for liquor and $450 for wine/beer
• ACC will waive penalties and interest for late payment of excise taxes for as long as the Judicial Emergency Order and any extension thereof remains in place
• Plaintiffs will dismiss their claims with prejudice
• We understand the new ordinance will be passed in special session in the morning and we will present the signed settlement agreement in lieu of a hearing

Cox Media Group