The owners of five bars in downtown Lafayette have lost appeals asking the City-Parish Council to overturn three-day liquor license suspensions imposed for refusing to pay a special law-enforcement levy. The bar owners will now take the battle to district court in an attempt to overturn the ordinance requiring the bars to pay the special levy.

The five bars stopped paying the monthly fee required by Lafayette Consolidated Government to cover the costs of additional law-enforcement officers on certain nights to help with crowd control.

The owners argue the fee is unconstitutional, and the refusal to pay the fee came with a three-day liquor license suspension the bar owners unsuccessfully tried to overturn during the meeting Tuesday night.

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