Should minors be allowed in bars for concerts? The Omaha City Council held a public hearing Tuesday for input on a proposal to change a city ordinance.

What Councilman Jim Suttle is proposing is to allow places that might normally be a bar open up to all ages on nights when concerts are held. Those who oppose it say putting alcohol and underage kids in the same place would be a mistake.

Since the Slowdown opened at 13th and Webster in north downtown almost 10 months ago, concerts for all ages were held until recently when questions came up about the city law.

"It just about two months ago came up that this law is a little gray and you might be doing something illegal and we said okay and we sat down with Councilman Suttle and went through it," says Slowdown co-owner Jason Kulbel.

What they came up with was a proposed revision to the law concerning minors in places that sell alcohol.

City Council members heard public comments about the revision Tuesday. More than a dozen people spoke for or against allowing minors in bars at times they also act as music venues.

One of those against it is Kip Hulbert. He's been in the bar business for 15 years. "I did have cutting edge technology on camera systems, on security, police outside off-duty that were working for me and we came to the conclusion that it doesn't work, you cannot have minors in the bar because they're sneaky, they will do what they can do to procure alcohol."

"Anyone that owns a bar will tell you that yes, that's happened and it can happen, that's why we go through the steps that we go through, we band people, we mark people's hands, we have people constantly patrolling the crowd," says Kulbel.

Without all ages being allowed at the concerts, Kulbel says bands just won't come to Omaha. “One of the most important things to us is just to further the culture of Omaha and to give people who are under 21 something to do."

The revision lays out very detailed plans that bars acting as music venues would have to follow, including stage requirements, a minimum amount of security, wristbands on 21 and up adults and very different looking containers for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Venues like the Qwest Center and Sokol Auditorium were mentioned during the hearing. All ages are allowed there because alcohol is not their main business. But the question was asked, on nights a concert is the main event at a bar, are they any different? Both sides differed on their answers.

The City Council will vote on the proposal at a later date.