Extending last call

FRIDAY, Dec. 5 — Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero is against allowing bars to stay open an extra two hours until 4 a.m., as a bill working its way through the state Legislature would permit.

“No good can come of it,” Bernero said today.

The bill, which the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee approved Thursday, would require local government approval. Only bars in the central business district would be eligible.

Bars would pay a $10,000 annual fee, with 85 percent going to local police departments, 10 to the state Liquor Control Commission and 5 percent to the local governments.

The sponsor is Sen. Virgil Smith, D-Detroit, who said business owners asked for it to help them compete better against other big cities where it is allowed.