Bowling Green tables changes to city's rowdy party law

4/6/2005

BOWLING GREEN - City Council tabled two amendments to Bowling Green's nuisance party law after failing to reach a consensus on the distance from their homes that hosts could be held responsible for rowdy guests.

Second Ward Councilman Mike Zickar, who proposed the changes last month, initially suggested amending the law to say hosts should not be responsible for their guests on neighboring property. He said he was later convinced the law should include adjacent property.

But at a public hearing Monday, some suggested neighboring property could be defined as areas as far as 100 yards from the party site.

"We need to reflect on whether we still want to change it and, if we want to put in a certain yard limit, what the number of yards would be," Mr. Zickar said.

The law, which allows police to shut down a party and cite the hosts if illegal activity is taking place there, was declared constitutional in Bowling Green Municipal Court. That decision has been appealed.