Party house ordinance OK’d, abandoned vehicles next

By GEORGE LEDBETTER, Record Editor

Party hosts in Chadron take note: Holding a gathering which causes neighbors to complain about noise, or one where teens are sipping beer can now get you a fine.

And people who leave non-functioning vehicles parked on the city streets for weeks on end might want to see if that motor will start after all, as the Chadron City Council debates an ordinance that increases the city’s power to take action against abandoned vehicles.

At Monday’s regular city council meeting, a so-called ‘party house’ ordinance which allows the city to ticket the homeowner or renter who holds a ‘nuisance’ party passed unanimously on third reading. There was no discussion of the matter, which won praise from council members, law enforcement and members of the public during consideration over the past month.

The rule, patterned after ones adopted in other Nebraska college towns, gives police “another tool” to use against underage drinking and disruptive parties, Police Chief Tim Lordino said in earlier hearings. It can be difficult, and sometimes dangerous, for officers to ticket all of the underage drinkers when they are called to large, boisterous parties, Lordino said, so the ordinance targets the person who hosts the event.

When the host of a party is ticketed for an nuisance party offense, the property owner will get a notice, but won’t be cited unless there are repeat violations, Lordino said.

Taking aim at another long-standing problem in the community, the council gave first reading to an ordinance that would impose a $100 fine on first offense for having an ‘abandoned’ vehicle parked on city streets or allies, and give the city authority to tow away an abandoned vehicle if the owner doesn’t remove it promptly.

The ordinance is patterned on ones used in other Nebraska communities, but with an addition that makes it apply to unattended, but licensed, vehicles that can’t be driven because of flat tires or other mechanical problems, said Lordino. It also imposes the same conditions for ATVs, which are now legal for limited use on city streets, and for mini-bikes, he noted.

The section on non-working vehicles was added because of ongoing problems with several vehicles currently on the streets, said Lordino, who showed pictures of four examples, such as a pickup truck with deflated tires and a load of trash in the back. “This is a way we can deal with vehicles like these, that we have dealt with for a year,” he said. “This allows us to put a tag on it if it’s parked in the public right-of-way with the wheels removed...tires deflated or parts removed and it can’t be driven. We can address it as abandoned.”

At present such situations can only be handled by writing a citation, which the owner can then pay without having to remove the vehicle, said Lordino. “This is another course for us to try and get them off the street,”

Lordino estimated that 25 vehicles currently parked on city streets for extended periods could be immediately subject to the ordinance.

If, after the owner is notified, the situation isn’t rectified, the city can have an abandoned vehicle towed. To reclaim it, the owner would have to pay the towing and storage charge, as well as the fine.

For council member Rob Harvey, the idea of getting some derelict cars off city streets was good enough to warrant passage in one meeting rather than the customary three readings. “Can we pass this in one night and get it started?” he asked.

Quick passage of an ordinance after just one reading is allowed if the council votes to suspend the rules, said city manager Sandy Powell. A motion by council member Don Thompson to do just that, met resistance, however.

“I’m reluctant to hurry this through. This has been a problem since I’ve been in Chadron,” said council member John Gamby. “I think it hasn’t been put before the public as well as it should have.”

Thompson’s motion to suspend the rules in order to allow for quick passage gathered only one other vote, from Harvey, so the council scheduled a public hearing and second reading of the ordinance for Nov. 17.


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