'They are playing a lot of catch up': McAllen bar owners respond to City's enforcement after surge in citations

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Several McAllen bar owners are speaking out after the city issued 38 citations to local businesses for not following "special use permits." The crackdown comes after a recent fight outside multiple bars, where a police officer was attacked.

One of the businesses cited was The Flying Walrus. The bar is accused of not using a verification machine to check customers’ IDs. While the business does have a machine on site, it was not being used at the time the bar was inspected, according to the owner, James Alexander, who supports the recent enforcement.

“Code enforcement and going after the bars that are doing the wrong thing is just step one," said Alexander.

On Tuesday, ValleyCentral reported on the city, following up on citations in McAllen's Municipal Court where bar operators entered 34 misdemeanor pleas after allegedly operating without a Special Use Permit or violating conditions, which resulted in $11,115 in fines.

The bar owner says he’s not upset about the citation—in fact, he supports the city's move.

“Its always been about enforcement," Alexander said. "Am I upset with the increased police presence and the city coming in and doing everything that they have been doing for the last week and a half, no. They are playing a lot of catch up.”

Alexander says bar owners have been asking the city for stronger enforcement for years.

“There are things that have been happening for a very long time," he added. "They didn’t happen behind closed doors, they happened right in front of the police officers that were monitoring the street at that time. There was no follow through, there was no keeping up, no active monitoring.”

McAllen City Manager Isaac Tawil said that code enforcement teams have always kept an eye on local bars. But after last weekend’s violence on a McAllen officer, the city stepped up enforcement across town.

“You know, we had officers, code enforcement officers on South 17th street over the weekend," Tawil said. "We had them on the north side responding to some noise concerns that we had up in that area. We're everywhere. The unique thing about South 17th Street is those establishments require that special use permit, and that is the only area in the city where that permit is required to operate.”

Bars in that downtown entertainment district area need a special use permit, which includes rules about outdoor lighting, security, ID checks, and clear marking of minors. Tahwill also adds that bars in the area not required to carry insurance to protect victims if something goes wrong.

“At this time, there is no regulation that would require mandate that insurance be carried," Tawil said. "I would hope that every responsible business, and I would consider this a call to those businesses to do the right thing and make sure that they are prepared to help us. Look we responded to their request for assistance. And so help us help you.”

Alexander says the extra enforcement is a step in the right direction—but it should not stop there.

“You need people to get in and out and you need them to get out safely," Alexander said. "You need to monitor the business that exists which is already starting to happen and you need to continue to follow-up. This can't be like a two week thing.”

Tawil added that the city is planning a meeting with bar and property owners, but no date has been set yet.