HUNTINGTON -- Nearly two weeks after one man was killed and three others wounded by gunfire at a Huntington nightclub, the Huntington City Council's Public Safety Committee will meet at City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, to discuss improving bar safety.

Frances Jackson, councilwoman and chairwoman of the committee, said she has done research on ways to decrease violent behavior at bars and nightclubs. The committee, she said, will discuss different ways to make bars safe through new ordinances or additional provisions to established city ordinances.

The meeting is open to the public, which is invited to offer suggestions, officials said.

Jackson said a number of ways are available to limit violence, including using metal detectors, closing bars early and prohibiting underage people from going to bars that serve alcohol. Jackson said alcohol has played a big part in the violence that's occurred in and around bars.

Having bartenders limit the amount of alcohol they give intoxicated patrons is one way to curb violent behavior, Jackson said. Another solution is to make sure bouncers do not allow clearly intoxicated people into the bars and nightclubs to become further intoxicated.

"Bartenders have the authority to cut people off if they've had too much to drink," Jackson said. "These types of situations involve the whole community."

Jackson said the committee also will discuss Councilman Scott Caserta's proposed bar moratorium ordinance that previously has been tabled. A moratorium could halt the proliferation of new establishments.

Caserta, who is not on the committee, said he plans to attend Thursday's meeting to discuss changes to the proposed moratorium. One of the biggest issues the moratorium can address is when bar owners shut down one establishment and reopen another under a different corporation name to avoid paying underage drinking fines and other citations.

The moratorium would allow the city to maintain better records of bars and their owners and receive delinquent fines, Caserta said. Other issues such as limiting the number of bars downtown and closing times can also be included in the moratorium.

Caserta said more safety measures could be added to established ordinances, such as the nuisance ordinance. The ordinance gives the police chief or a designee the authority to initiate a review of activities at a residence, business or rental property if the Huntington Police Department receives three or more police reports documenting nuisance activities or if a search warrant is executed at the property.

If the concerns are not addressed within 60 days of receiving a notice from the police chief, the matter is turned over to the city attorney, who can seek to close the property and assess fines in Cabell Circuit Court.

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