A draft ordinance on keg regulation was presented to the Carbondale City Council for discussion Tuesday, and it met with no direct resistance from the Undergraduate Student Government.
July 11, 1995
Scott Pfeiffer, USG chief of staff, said that while he was present at the meeting Tuesday, he did not speak to the council on the issue because he was not prepared to do so.
We would prefer to see this taken up in September, when all the students are here, he said. That would give us the opportunity to take it up with our constituency.
Pfeiffer said the recent resignation of former City Commissioner Mike Nolan has left USG without a close contact with the city. He did say, however, that USG would be in contact with city officials regarding the proposed ordinance before they consider it again at their Aug. 15 meeting.
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The ordinance would require liquor establishments to collect the name, address and telephone number of any person buying a keg, as well as the number and sizes of the kegs sold.
The ordinance also would outlaw the sale or transportation of kegs in Carbondale between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and make the purchaser of a keg responsible for any unlawful possession and/or consumption of beer from the keg.
The ordinance was introduced to the council by Donald Monty, Carbondale management research and analysis manager, who stressed the difference between the proposed ordinance and keg registration, which has been discussed by the city in the past.
Keg registration requirements in other communities typically require the purchaser to fill out forms at the liquor establishment and/or the police department or some other city office, he said. A permit or tag is affixed to the keg, the permit must be clearly visible and must be shown to the police upon request.
In the end, the committee (to examine keg parties) concluded that registration could become cumbersome and should be looked at later if some lesser measures were tried and failed to deal with the situation.
Pfeiffer said that although he did not speak out against the ordinance publicly, he has concerns about the ordinance, which he will direct to city officials.
(City Manager) Jeff Doherty said the purpose of this ordinance was to stop people with five to ten kegs, he said. If so, no one who gets one keg should have their name given to the police.
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Doherty had told the council the intent of the ordinance was to shut down the illegal bars that cater to underage drinkers in Carbondale.
Pfeiffer also said he thought the ordinance would affect citizens other than students who run or frequent illegal bars operating in the neighborhoods of Carbondale.
Also introduced for discussion was a draft ordinance holding the person in control of a party site responsible for any violations of liquor laws that he or she is aware of.
The ordinance defines a person in control of a premise as the person renting the property, or in the case of an owner-occupied premise, the owner. The president of fraternities or sororities would be responsible for parties held at group housing.
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