De Pere committee votes down liquor restrictions By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle The De Pere License Committee voted down proposed bar restrictions Tuesday night that would have banned all-you-can-drink specials in bars. Two of three committee members voted to deny the restrictions that would have made unlimited drink specials, the sale of beer through vending machines and selling to intoxicated individuals illegal in the city. State law already prohibits serving to intoxicated individuals. "I think it should be by the state," said Ald. Don Thyes. "Have the state make a law so everyone's the same." The De Pere regulation would have been an addition to existing state laws that would have prohibited the specific type of special. But Thyes said the ban should be for all communities or none. Patrons will simply go to Ashwaubenon or Wrightstown to drink if the proposal passed. He added that bar owners could easily come up with other specials that would be just as cheap, like $1 pitchers. De Pere Police Capt. John Koser said at the meeting that the specials encourage people to become drunk and that the problem is not limited to St. Norbert College students. Koser said he is worried about patrons who drink too much and drive home. "I guarantee you that it is not the students that give us the problems on the nights of these specials. It's those that drive away that really scare me," Koser said. Koser said informal agreements between bar owners and the police have been broken and that the city needed to send a message that it will not tolerate all-you-can-drink specials. Dick Rankin, St. Norbert College's vice president, said low drink prices cause individuals to become too intoxicated. He cited the University of Iowa as a school that has curbed drink specials and has seen a decrease in alcohol-related problems. The matter will appear before the De Pere City Council at its next meeting.