Change looks to be on the horizon for Athens’ nuisance party ordinance.
Following a surprising appearance at Wednesday night’s Student Senate meeting, Athens city officials made it clear Thursday that change could come to the city’s infamous “nuisance party ordinance.”
A draft of the new ordinance obtained by The Post shows the amendment would hike up the fine for hosting an especially rowdy party from $150 to $250, and would give the green light for officers to arrest partiers who resist or are belligerent.
Although those measures beef up the punishment for hosting wild parties, Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said he doesn’t want to slap Ohio University students with criminal records.
As long as the reveler pays the fine, the violation would only be a civil offense.
“The ordinance, as I explained last night (at Student Senate), is kind of a barter,” Pyle said. “We want to decriminalize the first violation because we don’t like the idea of a student having a party that gets out of hand, and now they have a criminal record.”
One of Pyle’s colleagues on the Athens-OU Joint Police Advisory Council — Caleb Balduff, a senior studying chemistry and pre-pharmacy — said that he would like to see the $250 fine reduced, but agreed with the chief that the ordinance is mostly fair.
“We found a great medium where both sides of the fence are happy,” he said. “It’s not huge penalties.”
The JPAC was discussing a possible “social host” ordinance last spring, which would’ve made it easier for officers to crack down on underage drinking.
But they soon decided to shift the focus of the discussion after realizing that penalties could be too harsh.
“My department is not interested in policing the issue of underage consumption in and of itself when we have so many things that are much more pressing,” he said.
The amendment still has a long way to go before it can become part of the law. It’ll need to be vetted at a series of Athens City Council meetings and Balduff said he hopes to hear from students. Pyle wasn’t sure if it would be on the books before Halloween Weekend.
Councilwoman Jennifer Cochran, D-at large, said she doesn’t want OU students to see the ordinance as a scar on “town and gown” relations.
“The idea is just to show the gravity of the situation, (and) how we’re living in a community with other people, so let’s hold each other accountable and show respect,” she said. “I think it’s worth noting that most council members have connections to OU.”
Pyle maintained that he’s trying to keep the best interests of students in mind.
“People say we’re out to stop parties, and that’s just not true,” he said. “We’re out to protect lives and save people's lives, and whether people want to admit it or not, bad things have happened at parties where binge drinking is taking place.”
“I’ve been to every one of those calls. When people say it can’t happen, they’re just fooling themselves.”
@wtperkins
wp198712@ohio.edu
