Hosting a party at which underage drinking or smoking is done may carry a hefty price tag in Greene County.
County attorney Thomas Laehn told the county supervisors Monday that at the urging of county sheriff Jack Williams, he’s working on a social host ordinance. The ordinance would allow for civil penalties against people who knowingly host parties with alcohol for underage persons.
According to Williams, a social host ordinance in Boone County reduced the number of underage parties by 90 percent.
The ordinance would include a $250 civil penalty for a first offense and a $500 penalty for a second offense.
The supervisors have talked about such an ordinance previously but no action was taken by the county attorney at the time.
Laehn also said he’s finalizing a dispatch service agreement between the city of Jefferson and the county. The agreement calls for the city to pay the county $25,000 in the coming fiscal year toward the cost of the dispatch function at the law enforcement center.
Laehn said he hopes to devise a new agreement for coming years that includes adjustments for inflation.
