A new ordinance proposed in Athens City Council aims to crack down on nuisance parties and hold party-throwers and party-goers accountable for their actions.
The ordinance, proposed last week, would hold landlords and tenants accountable for violations, Councilman Jim Sands, D-at-large, said.
If cited with a nuisance violation, tenants face a minor misdemeanor charge, which results in a $100 fine. For the second offense within 18 months, tenants would be charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of 30 days in jail and a $250 fine, Athens County Prosecutor C. David Warren said.
Many questions concerning the language of Athens' version of the ordinance need to be clarified before council will vote on it, Sands said. The language does not clearly implicate landlords, and penalties imposed on landlords are one way the ordinance differs from similar laws already in place.
We have ordinances on the books
but the enforcement and the education about those ordinances don't seem to be effective Sands said.
Athens Police Chief Richard Mayer said he supports the new ordinance.
It puts the responsibility on those who should be responsible including landlords who allow their properties to become a nuisance
he said.
The new ordinance would allow APD to lump three to four violations, including open container, underage drinking, litter, vandalism, public indecency and loud noise, together and cite residents for nuisance parties
Mayer said.
The new ordinance is modeled after an ordinance implemented this spring in Oxford, Ohio, where Miami University's campus is located. The police department has issued less than 12 citations since the spring, Oxford Police Chief Steve Schwein said. An educational program alerted Miami students to the law's existence and its consequences before the ordinance went into effect.
Students leasing houses have asked us if we could help them close their parties before they got out of hand. So that's a real plus
Schwein said.
Landlords can be notified or even cited for unruly parties on their property, but Oxford has not had to go to those measures. Oxford police officers originally thought they would issue several hundred citations, but the law has seemed to be a deterrent, Mayer said.
Most parties are dealt with on an on-call basis, but in extreme cases, the police will interrupt the party. There is an even mixture of students and non-students who make noise complaints, he said.
APD received a total of 800 noise complaints from Jan. 1 to Oct. 16 this year - more than any other type of complaints, such as traffic crashes. The areas of Mill, Palmer, North Congress and High streets are where the most noise complaints are made.
The number of complaints is usually higher during warmer weather because there are more outdoor parties and people keep their windows open, allowing noise to reverberate through the neighborhoods, Mayer said.
Noise, litter and traffic caused by large college parties in residential areas have increased steadily over the past three to five years, said Michele Drabold, board member of the Athens Near Northside Neighborhood Association.
Drabold said some action might be taken to tighten leases or improve the relationship between tenant and owner if landlords are held more responsible for nuisance parties at their properties.
While most students adhere to current noise ordinances, some do not, Drabold said. Some students have moved out of her neighborhood because of loud parties throughout the week.
We've coexisted here with students for over 20 years...and basically what we're asking for is neighborly behavior
she said.
Students have expressed concern about how the ordinance will affect them.
I think that the ordinance is fair
but I disagree with it
said Erin Janollari, an Ohio University junior and Mill Street resident. I don't want to get into trouble for having a party and I know that my landlord wouldn't want to have to deal with it.
Students living in high-traffic areas, like Aaron Jeskie, an OU fifth-year senior and Oak Street resident, accept the fact that their neighborhoods are loud and are prone to parties.
I do not think that the ordinance is necessary because there are already enough laws in place to keep parties under control
Jeskie said. If it ever gets too loud
I can just leave and go elsewhere to study.
If approved, the ordinance could take effect as soon as March, but council also has the option to wait to enact it until September 2004. Regardless, a comprehensive campaign will educate students on the ordinance before it is enacted, Sands said.
