Hess Street officers

The city is set to scrap a by-law forcing Hess Village bars to pay for extra policing during the patio season.

In 2010, council passed a by-law requiring all bars in Hess Village to pay for up to ten paid duty police officers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights during the busy patio season. Today the planning committee voted 7-2 in favour of a motion to eliminate the area’s entertainment district designation in the process scrapping the policing program.

Councillor Jason Farr says the “unique to Hamilton tax” unfairly punishes businesses. “As little as two years ago 15 establishments were splitting the costs. By the next year it was down to 9 or 10.”

That number has continued to dwindle, with more owners getting wise to bylaw loopholes. Some are adding seating and cutting late-night hours to be considered a restaurant, instead of a bar leaving only six bars to split a bill of $55,000 a year.

“Police will definitely still very much be policing Hess Village. They already do have mounted, they have action officers, they have beat, in addition to the paid duty compliment,” said Jason Farr.

City council will vote whether to approve the motion next Wednesday.