ALBANY - As alcohol-related deaths outpace those from opioid use, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy is eyeing a 2 a.m. closing time for bars in the county instead of 4 a.m.

During a recent University of Albany forum on underage drinking, McCoy proposed switching the closing time in response to the latest statistics.

The estimated number of deaths in the U.S. related to alcohol is 88,000 annually, from car crashes to medical causes, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Meanwhile, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2017, according to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.,” McCoy said. “I’m hoping now with the change, everyone is willing to do it together as a group.”

McCoy said he’s always been supportive of moving up the closing time but wants to get surrounding counties on board so there are no repercussions to Albany County businesses. But the idea is already getting pushback from some business owners.

“I don’t want to put our business owners at a disadvantage,” McCoy said. “This way we can do this, and they can all be on the same sheet of music.”

Buy this photo Photo: Lori Van Buren, Albany Times Union

Saratoga County Administrator Spencer Hellwig said the Board of Supervisors considered changing closing times several years back, but it got little support.

“Each county and the municipalities within each county are unique, and they’ve got to be able to serve their constituents, so that’s a local decision,” Hellwig said.

Rensselaer County Director of Operations Richard Crist said there are no plans to change the closing time in county.

"This is an issue we monitor," he said. "The majority of establishments serving alcohol in the county close well before 4 a.m., and responsible bar owners and the (State Liquor Authority) keep an eye on the situation as well," he said.

Past proposals to move up the closing time in the city of Albany have been met with resistance from businessowners who say they would miss out on revenue with customers going to neighboring communities.

In 2011, then-Mayor Jerry Jennings called on all city bars to stop serving alcohol at 2 a.m. because of increased police calls in the wee hours for fights, drunken and disorderly behavior and other more serious crimes. Businessowners pushed back and the proposal was dropped.

A shift was again brought up in 2016 with the citywide ReZone, which initially had proposed a 2 a.m. closure for some Lark Street businesses. Area residents supported the measure, hoping it would cut down on problems with noise, broken bottles and neighborhood disruptions after bars let out. A compromise was reached so existing businesses could keep their 4 a.m. closing time, with new businesses adhering to a 2 a.m. closure.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s office declined to comment, noting the city had not been approached by the county on the matter.

El Loco Mexican restaurant owner Patrick Noonan, who chairs the Lark Street Business Improvement District, said a shift to an earlier closing time – amounting to 10 to 14 hours a week in sales – would be a “death sentence” for small business owners.

“The BID and its businesses take great effort to ensure its patrons are served in a responsible manner through (the state alcohol training awareness program) certifications, sexual harassment training, and a strong relationship with (Albany police) and the surrounding neighborhood,” he said.

Noonan said the BID is always open top conversations on how to improve the business corridor, but the issue was discussed thoroughly during the rezoning process and they “strongly oppose any changes to the current policy.”

Decisions about hours of operation should be left to each individual business, New York State Restaurant Association President and CEO Melissa Fleischut said in a statement. "Additionally, policies like this that are not enacted statewide put businesses at a competitive disadvantage," she said.

Legislature Chairman Andrew Joyce said he is open to discussing the change but wants to make sure business owners also are part of the discussion.

“We need to be including business owners and those type of people in the conversation at the beginning as opposed to putting these ideas and proposals on them,” he said.

Joyce said he also would like to know whether there are issues related to bars being open past 2 a.m. Are more people getting arrested around those times for DWIs, for example, he said.

“This is an interesting public health and public safety issue, and we’d like to innovate in both of those areas and support ideas that we can,” Joyce said.