LEWISTON – Bar owners used to getting their entertainment permits renewed automatically could be in a for a bit of a surprise from the new City Council.

Councilors now want bar owners to answer questions in person before they’ll renew permits for dancing or live music.

On Tuesday, they tabled hearings on special amusement permits for two bars – The Cage at 99 Ash St. and Barnie’s Bar and Grill at 1085 Sabattus St. It was the second time they’d tabled the hearing on The Cage.

That’s the way things will be from now on, according to City Councilor Robert Reed.

“We’re not a bunch of teetotalers trying to close down the bars, but we think liquor licenses are a pretty big deal,” Reed said. “We think the owners should be in the audience in case anybody has questions.”

Renewing the special amusement permits have been a pretty mundane item in the past, unless there were complaints from neighbors or problems noted by the Police Department. The council regularly made quick work of the items, often approving them without discussion – whether owners were present or not.

Reed said councilors now are prepared to take it a step further, permanently tabling future discussions about a bar’s permits if the owner doesn’t show up for three consecutive meetings. That could mean no dancing or music until they come before the City Council.

“I think we want to get a better idea from people who do business in our city, why they’re here and what they’re doing,” he said.

Cage co-owner Denis Webber has the date of the next council meeting written on a note, posted in a prominent spot at the front of his bar.

“There’s no way I want to miss that,” he said. “I see that note every day, and it keeps reminding me.”

Webber said he was planning Tuesday to attend the City Council’s hearing.

“But I forgot, and I just didn’t make it,” he said. “I got a phone call from my cook that night, and he told me I might have lost my permit for good.”

Webber said he and other bar owners would adjust.

“I’ve had a license for nine years, and I’ve never had this problem before,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve had to attend one of these meetings and go before the council. But I will now.”