Aldermen in Monmouth on Tuesday approved rescinding the temporary outdoor seating ordinance that was approved last year when COVID was ravaging the local economy.
City Administrator Lew Steinbrecher gives the reasoning behind the city’s move.
“The Governor has rescinded all those executive orders. People can eat and drink indoors now so what we did was we rescinded the outdoor seating arrangements because they’re not necessary anymore.”
He says the city will now fall back on the more restrictive outdoor cafe ordinance the city passed before the pandemic started.
“What we will be following from this point forward will be the permanent provisions of our sidewalk cafe ordinance.
Steinbrecher says that the hours of operation would be reduced and that a permanent barrier would be needed separating the outdoor cafe from the sidewalks.
“So now, we’re moving away from that temporary outdoor seating situation and moving back to the permanent outdoor cafe which is more restrictive than what the outdoor seating was. But, it’s more lenient than what it originally was prior to COVID-19.”
