DeKalb City Council passed an ordinance to extend city bar hours to 2 a.m. on Thursday nights by one vote at Monday’s meeting.

The ordinance also requires establishments with Class E licenses, such as The Barn, 1215 Blackhawk Drive, will have to stop serving alcohol an hour earlier.

This means Class E licensees will have to stop serving alcohol at midnight Sunday through Wednesday and at 1 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday.

The ordinance came about to make sure establishments with Class E licenses were acting as a restaurant first and not as a bar.

Second Ward Alderman Kris Povlsen said he did not believe the ordinance solved the problem.

“I think extending the hours on Thursdays is wrong,” Povlsen said. “If we really want to deal with the restaurants that act like bars, we need to deal with it and not just put a Band-Aid on it.”

Daniel Porter, of Campus DJ Services, supported the later closing time on Thursdays, but he said he wanted to refrain from modifying the Class E licenses.

“The college kids are usually up late, and this [later closing time] will benefit the city,” Porter said.

Porter said not changing the Class E licenses would have left fewer problems.

“You have chaperoned social events with a responsible manager,” Porter said. “You’ll see a phenomenon called ‘House Parties Gone Wild.’”

Chris Gochis, owner of The Barn, questioned the purpose of the ordinance.

“What is closing someone an hour early going to do?” Gochis said. “Is making you close an hour earlier going to make you stop acting like a bar?”

Gochis also held up advertisements from the telephone book and told the council that bar advertisements are listed under the “restaurants” section.

Gochis said he felt the best solution would be to punish establishments that violated liquor license laws.

The ordinance passed after Mayor Greg Sparrow broke a 3-3 tie.