ORONO, Maine — Town leaders spent Monday night discussing and amending proposals for stiffer penalties for large, out-of-control parties that require calling in assistance from other law enforcement agencies and imposing larger fees for violators.
When the disorderly property ordinance was put into place, it lacked teeth, Town Manager Sophie Wilson told four councilors at a workshop held Monday.
“The way it was written made it pretty much unenforceable with the larger complexes,” Wilson said.
“We need to tweak these ordinances to give us the tools to enforce them,” she added later.
While the proposed rules would apply to all rental units, from single-family dwellings to developments of 50-plus units, The Grove — the town’s largest student housing complex — is the only apartment complex where large parties and code violations continue to be a problem, according to Wilson and Police Chief Josh Ewing.
On Sept. 6, the first Saturday night of the fall semester, police from as far as Hampden were called to The Grove to help Orono police disperse a loud party with about 300 to 400 people in attendance, many of them University of Maine students.
Three people were arrested, and an Old Town police officer suffered a broken leg as a result of the melee. A similar party took place at the complex, which can house up to 620 students, when it opened in 2012.
Under the current ordinance, the large party earlier this month is not considered disorderly activity because “the people complaining were residents of The Grove” and the wording of the ordinance defines a disturbance as “at or beyond the property line,” the police chief said.
When dealing with private property rights, there are limitations on what towns can do. Wilson and Ewing discussed the proposed amendments with the town attorney to ensure they were strongly written in order to get property owners to address the problem.
Two disorderly events means the property can be deemed a disorderly property, which requires police and property owners to develop a remediation plan to abate and eliminate the public nuisance.
“It can be as simple as ‘I’ve read them the riot act’ and they’ve sent a letter apologizing to the people disturbed,” Ewing said. “It acknowledges that this is a problem. It’s documented. It’s really a conversation that is documented.”
When it came to discussing amendments to the recovery of cost for police services at large events on private property ordinance, most of the committee’s discussion centered on the definition of a public nuisance and the penalties associated with a second response to a large event at one property. The first time police arrive they will issue a written warning.
“You got your warning the first time. But if we have to come back, this is a special security detail,” Wilson said.
“The mechanism is for everyone to bill us and we charge them,” she added, referring to responding law enforcement and property owners.
“When you are pulling officers from nine agencies, you are creating public nuisance and drawing resources away from their communities,” Wilson said later.
The last time Orono billed The Grove, the pass-through cost for law enforcement assistance was about $7,000, Wilson said.
Councilor Geoff Gordon also suggested breaking up the fines. He suggested a $150 fine for single-family homes and properties with up to five rental units, $250 fines for rental properties of six to 20 units, $500 fine for 21 to 50 units, and complexes with 51-plus units would be assessed a $1,000 fine.
Wilson said she would incorporate all suggestions into the proposed amendment. The notice for holding a public hearing will be presented to the council at their Oct. 6 meeting.
Andrew Brady, a member of the UMaine student government, attended the meeting.
Campus Crest Communities, The Grove’s parent company, declined a Monday request for comment.