The St. Paul City Council is considering passing a social host ordinance that would make it a crime to host or allow a party where underage drinking occurs.

But this ordinance has a twist. If it passes, all adults, including landlords, who knowingly allow underage drinking parties, would be guilty of a misdemeanor and could face up to $1,000 in fines and up to 90 days in jail.

“A landlord should be responsible for the behavior of the people who live in his or her building,” said John Hershey, neighborhood liaison for St. Thomas. “They obviously can’t micromanage their tenants but they have the responsibility to lay down behavioral expectations. A landlord could go a long way to avoid difficulty.”

According to the ordinance, “A person who hosts or allows an event or gathering [where underage drinking takes place] does not have to be present at the event or gathering to be criminally responsible.”

But, if the landlord did not knowingly allow a party to take place, the landlord is not held responsible.

Student don’t want landlords to ‘baby-sit’

Many St. Thomas students who live off-campus and rent from landlords don’t agree with the idea behind the social host ordinance.

“It’s not in a landlord’s job description to baby-sit their tenants,” junior Julianna Gorder said.

Junior Matt Poling agreed.

“This ordinance would put too much pressure on landlords and create unnecessary stress for them,” Poling said. “They shouldn’t be responsible for students’ actions or choices.”

Other students are worried that if the ordinance passes, landlords will be more reluctant in the future to lease houses or apartments to students.

“It’s going to be tougher to find places to rent if landlords are worried about renters throwing parties and getting them in trouble,” senior John Theisen said.

Senior Megan Honan added that the consequences seemed a little harsh.

“I agree that landlords should have some responsibility for their tenants, but making knowledge about a party into a misdemeanor with a possible $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail seems kind of strict,” Honan said.

Hershey said he has already gotten three calls from concerned landlords.

“Their reactions to the ordinance were all negative,” Hershey said. “In my opinion, the ordinance is a good way to close the loophole of responsibility. The legislation is aimed at assigning responsibility only to those hosting an event and that seems fair to me.”

Social host ordinances have begun to spring up around the state in recent years as a way to curb underage drinking. According to information that accompanied the ordinance on the City of St. Paul’s Web site, 29 cities and two counties in Minnesota have adopted some type of social host ordinance.

There will be a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the St. Paul City Council Chambers to discuss the proposed ordinance.

Katie Broadwell can be reached at klbroadwell@stthomas.edu