Brownton City Council adopts social host ordinance on 3-2 vote
The Brownton City Council passed a social host ordinance on a 3-2 vote at its Sept. 2 meeting.
The ordinance is similar to one adopted in Glencoe, said Police Chief Ken Bauer. McLeod County also has a similar ordinance, Bauer said, but its jurisdiction doesn’t extend into the city limits.
The ordinance had been proposed at the Brownton City Council’s August meeting and had been tabled until September so that Council members could review the language.
Bauer said the ordinance provides law enforcement with “another tool in the toolbox” to combat underage drinking.
The ordinance allows law enforcement to charge the hosts of parties where minors are served alcohol.
Mayor Jay Werner, who voted against the ordinance, said there are already laws in place regarding minor consumption and providing liquor to minors.
And Council Member Norm Schwarze said he feels the ordinance “just adds another layer” to existing government rules.
For more, see the Sept. 10 print edition of The Chronicle.