HAMMOND, La. (AP) — Police Chief Roddy Devall asked the Hammond City Council to consider rewriting its ordinances regarding the sale of liquor in businesses that are primarily designated as restaurants.

Devall’s comments came Tuesday as the council was considering its annual approval of High and Low Alcohol Permits for the 2013 calendar year.

Devall asked City Attorney Andre Coudrain if existing ordinances can be changed so that establishments doing business as restaurants and selling alcohol can be required to close at a specific time. Further, the chief suggested that all businesses holding a permit to sell alcohol be given a set limit of violations in a calendar year.

The first of two resolutions on the council’s agenda would have granted conditional approval for the sale of alcohol at Your Mom’s Bar and Grill, a downtown establishment where Devall said his department has had to respond to several complaints. A second resolution would have allowed all establishments in the city currently holding alcohol sale permits to continue to do so for the 2013 year.

Current city ordinances require that a restaurant holding a permit to sell liquor must derive 60 percent of its profit from food sales and 40 percent from alcohol sales. On the advice of city Permit Director Jinnie Wilson, the council tabled both resolutions

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/V9mpvg) the matter will be on the Nov. 5 agenda.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com