The City of Macomb sent a letter to businesses that sell package liquor to forewarn them an emergency order could be issued the final weekend of April.
The Wheeler Street block party - which has gotten out of control in recent years - has been held during the final weekend of April.
Mayor Mike Inman said the order would not limit the amount of alcohol the businesses could sell but rather would restrict the sale of liquor in glass containers.
He said it's a matter of public safety.
“The clean up that's involved with a glass bottle after it's broken -- whether it's in the right-of-way or private property -- and the safety hazards that it presents, we want to make sure that with the history of events that weekend, we want to make sure that's one less thing we need to be worried about,” Inman said.
Inman stressed the emergency order has not been issued and might not be needed. He pointed out no one has applied for a permit to hold the Wheeler Street block party.
Ordinances approved by the city council in March would require such a permit for outdoor gatherings of more than 150 people.
Inman said the owners of an apartment complex on North Charles Street are seeking a permit for a gathering during the first weekend of May. He said the city will likely grant that permit, though a final decision has not been made.
