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Dick Benson

Thu, Sep 10, 2009 4:25 PM

Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a
problem that occurs occasionally in our college town.

The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts
college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940).
Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and
those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The clubs
are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof reside in
the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a student or
two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent a house in one
of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences become unofficial
'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs, usually to the consternation
of the resident neighbors. It is not unusual that the owner/landlord of the
rented premises is not a resident of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere
well away from the loud parties or other disturbances that may emanate
therefrom.

We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but my
city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords directly
responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a novel approach
that works? Thanks for your kind consideration.

Dick Benson

--
Richard R. Benson, Jr.
Law Director
Wooster City Hall
538 N. Market Street
Wooster, OH 44691
Tel: 330-263-5248
Fax: 330-263-5247

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND/OR
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY
NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT,
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPYING OF
THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS
TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ME BY TELEPHONE AND
PERMANENTLY DELETE THE ORIGINAL AND ANY COPY OF THIS E-MAIL AND DESTROY ANY
PRINTOUT THEREOF.

Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a problem that occurs occasionally in our college town. The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940). Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The clubs are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof reside in the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a student or two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent a house in one of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences become unofficial 'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs, usually to the consternation of the resident neighbors. It is not unusual that the owner/landlord of the rented premises is not a resident of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere well away from the loud parties or other disturbances that may emanate therefrom. We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but my city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords directly responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a novel approach that works? Thanks for your kind consideration. Dick Benson -- Richard R. Benson, Jr. Law Director Wooster City Hall 538 N. Market Street Wooster, OH 44691 Tel: 330-263-5248 Fax: 330-263-5247 THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ME BY TELEPHONE AND PERMANENTLY DELETE THE ORIGINAL AND ANY COPY OF THIS E-MAIL AND DESTROY ANY PRINTOUT THEREOF.

WK

Wayne Karplus

Thu, Sep 10, 2009 4:51 PM

Nothing works well, but we have found that rental housing licensing helps. Vigilant enforcement of all property maintenance issue including cars parking in the yard is also helpful.
The biggest help is to post the street "no parking after 11p.m. Violators will be towed." Then tow cars. Student parties are always late at night. Invariably a neighborhood resident's car gets towed, but that is a price to pay for having a quiet neighborhood. We let the street decide whether to post an area for no parking. Parking on all Town streets is banned from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. but is only enforced where posted. Enforcement limited to posted areas is also by ordinance.
We tried something the past two years which has helped a little. The University and Town officials put together a hand-out explaining local ordinances re noise and parking with numbers to call. These were delivered door to door in neighborhoods on the fringe of campus.

Wayne Karplus
Assistant Corporation Counsel
Town of Normal
100 E. Phoenix Ave.
Normal, IL 61761
phone: (309) 454-9507
fax: (309) 454-9609
wkarplus@normal.org
From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Dick Benson
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:25 AM
To: Universitycities@lists.imla.org
Subject: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing

Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a problem that occurs occasionally in our college town.

The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940). Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The clubs are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof reside in the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a student or two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent a house in one of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences become unofficial 'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs, usually to the consternation of the resident neighbors. It is not unusual that the owner/landlord of the rented premises is not a resident of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere well away from the loud parties or other disturbances that may emanate therefrom.

We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but my city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords directly responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a novel approach that works? Thanks for your kind consideration.

Dick Benson

--
Richard R. Benson, Jr.
Law Director
Wooster City Hall
538 N. Market Street
Wooster, OH 44691
Tel: 330-263-5248
Fax: 330-263-5247

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ME BY TELEPHONE AND PERMANENTLY DELETE THE ORIGINAL AND ANY COPY OF THIS E-MAIL AND DESTROY ANY PRINTOUT THEREOF.

Nothing works well, but we have found that rental housing licensing helps. Vigilant enforcement of all property maintenance issue including cars parking in the yard is also helpful. The biggest help is to post the street "no parking after 11p.m. Violators will be towed." Then tow cars. Student parties are always late at night. Invariably a neighborhood resident's car gets towed, but that is a price to pay for having a quiet neighborhood. We let the street decide whether to post an area for no parking. Parking on all Town streets is banned from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. but is only enforced where posted. Enforcement limited to posted areas is also by ordinance. We tried something the past two years which has helped a little. The University and Town officials put together a hand-out explaining local ordinances re noise and parking with numbers to call. These were delivered door to door in neighborhoods on the fringe of campus. Wayne Karplus Assistant Corporation Counsel Town of Normal 100 E. Phoenix Ave. Normal, IL 61761 phone: (309) 454-9507 fax: (309) 454-9609 wkarplus@normal.org From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Dick Benson Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:25 AM To: Universitycities@lists.imla.org Subject: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a problem that occurs occasionally in our college town. The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940). Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The clubs are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof reside in the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a student or two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent a house in one of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences become unofficial 'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs, usually to the consternation of the resident neighbors. It is not unusual that the owner/landlord of the rented premises is not a resident of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere well away from the loud parties or other disturbances that may emanate therefrom. We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but my city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords directly responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a novel approach that works? Thanks for your kind consideration. Dick Benson -- Richard R. Benson, Jr. Law Director Wooster City Hall 538 N. Market Street Wooster, OH 44691 Tel: 330-263-5248 Fax: 330-263-5247 THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ME BY TELEPHONE AND PERMANENTLY DELETE THE ORIGINAL AND ANY COPY OF THIS E-MAIL AND DESTROY ANY PRINTOUT THEREOF.

MM

May, Michael

Thu, Sep 10, 2009 5:57 PM

Dick:

I agree that very strict enforcement helps. But, beyond that, you might try to model something like our Chronic Nuisance Premises ordinance. It provides that if a location gets a certain number of specified violations - our list is much more serious items than noise or trash, but includes building code, and I don't see why noise or underage drinking couldn't be included - the landlord is notified and required to meet with the Police department and City Attorney to create a plan for eliminating the nuisance. If the landlord doesn't come through, then forfeitures against the landlord start at $1000, which tends to get their attention. The ordinance also provides that the cost of enforcement may be placed on the tax roll, which totaled over $10,000 in one instance. It has proven to be a very effective hammer.

As noted, we tend to use this for houses that have recurring drug or disorderly or prostitution issues, but I don't see why it couldn't be modeled for other regularly recurring offenses.

The ordinance is sec. 25.09 of the Madison General Ordinances, which can be found on the City website: www.cityofmadison.com http://www.cityofmadison.com

Michael P. May
City Attorney
City of Madison
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Rm. 401
Madison, WI 53703
608/266-4511
FAX:608/267-8715
mmay@cityofmadison.com mailto:mmay@cityofmadison.com

PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE

This electronic message is intended only for the designated recipient(s). It may contain privileged or confidential information and should not be disclosed to third parties without our express permission. If you are not the intended recipient, you have received this message in error and review, dissemination or copying of this message is prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete the original message and destroy any electronic or printed copies of this message. Thank you.
From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Wayne Karplus
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:51 AM
To: 'Dick Benson'; 'Universitycities@lists.imla.org'
Subject: Re: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing

Nothing works well, but we have found that rental housing licensing helps. Vigilant enforcement of all property maintenance issue including cars parking in the yard is also helpful.
The biggest help is to post the street "no parking after 11p.m. Violators will be towed." Then tow cars. Student parties are always late at night. Invariably a neighborhood resident's car gets towed, but that is a price to pay for having a quiet neighborhood. We let the street decide whether to post an area for no parking. Parking on all Town streets is banned from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. but is only enforced where posted. Enforcement limited to posted areas is also by ordinance.
We tried something the past two years which has helped a little. The University and Town officials put together a hand-out explaining local ordinances re noise and parking with numbers to call. These were delivered door to door in neighborhoods on the fringe of campus.

Wayne Karplus
Assistant Corporation Counsel
Town of Normal
100 E. Phoenix Ave.
Normal, IL 61761
phone: (309) 454-9507
fax: (309) 454-9609
wkarplus@normal.org
From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Dick Benson
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:25 AM
To: Universitycities@lists.imla.org
Subject: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing

Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a problem that occurs occasionally in our college town.

The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940). Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The clubs are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof reside in the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a student or two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent a house in one of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences become unofficial 'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs, usually to the consternation of the resident neighbors. It is not unusual that the owner/landlord of the rented premises is not a resident of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere well away from the loud parties or other disturbances that may emanate therefrom.

We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but my city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords directly responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a novel approach that works? Thanks for your kind consideration.

Dick Benson

--
Richard R. Benson, Jr.
Law Director
Wooster City Hall
538 N. Market Street
Wooster, OH 44691
Tel: 330-263-5248
Fax: 330-263-5247

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ME BY TELEPHONE AND PERMANENTLY DELETE THE ORIGINAL AND ANY COPY OF THIS E-MAIL AND DESTROY ANY PRINTOUT THEREOF.

Dick: I agree that very strict enforcement helps. But, beyond that, you might try to model something like our Chronic Nuisance Premises ordinance. It provides that if a location gets a certain number of specified violations - our list is much more serious items than noise or trash, but includes building code, and I don't see why noise or underage drinking couldn't be included - the landlord is notified and required to meet with the Police department and City Attorney to create a plan for eliminating the nuisance. If the landlord doesn't come through, then forfeitures against the landlord start at $1000, which tends to get their attention. The ordinance also provides that the cost of enforcement may be placed on the tax roll, which totaled over $10,000 in one instance. It has proven to be a very effective hammer. As noted, we tend to use this for houses that have recurring drug or disorderly or prostitution issues, but I don't see why it couldn't be modeled for other regularly recurring offenses. The ordinance is sec. 25.09 of the Madison General Ordinances, which can be found on the City website: www.cityofmadison.com<http://www.cityofmadison.com> Michael P. May City Attorney City of Madison 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Rm. 401 Madison, WI 53703 608/266-4511 FAX:608/267-8715 mmay@cityofmadison.com<mailto:mmay@cityofmadison.com> PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE This electronic message is intended only for the designated recipient(s). It may contain privileged or confidential information and should not be disclosed to third parties without our express permission. If you are not the intended recipient, you have received this message in error and review, dissemination or copying of this message is prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete the original message and destroy any electronic or printed copies of this message. Thank you. From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Wayne Karplus Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:51 AM To: 'Dick Benson'; 'Universitycities@lists.imla.org' Subject: Re: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing Nothing works well, but we have found that rental housing licensing helps. Vigilant enforcement of all property maintenance issue including cars parking in the yard is also helpful. The biggest help is to post the street "no parking after 11p.m. Violators will be towed." Then tow cars. Student parties are always late at night. Invariably a neighborhood resident's car gets towed, but that is a price to pay for having a quiet neighborhood. We let the street decide whether to post an area for no parking. Parking on all Town streets is banned from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. but is only enforced where posted. Enforcement limited to posted areas is also by ordinance. We tried something the past two years which has helped a little. The University and Town officials put together a hand-out explaining local ordinances re noise and parking with numbers to call. These were delivered door to door in neighborhoods on the fringe of campus. Wayne Karplus Assistant Corporation Counsel Town of Normal 100 E. Phoenix Ave. Normal, IL 61761 phone: (309) 454-9507 fax: (309) 454-9609 wkarplus@normal.org From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Dick Benson Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:25 AM To: Universitycities@lists.imla.org Subject: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a problem that occurs occasionally in our college town. The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940). Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The clubs are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof reside in the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a student or two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent a house in one of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences become unofficial 'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs, usually to the consternation of the resident neighbors. It is not unusual that the owner/landlord of the rented premises is not a resident of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere well away from the loud parties or other disturbances that may emanate therefrom. We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but my city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords directly responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a novel approach that works? Thanks for your kind consideration. Dick Benson -- Richard R. Benson, Jr. Law Director Wooster City Hall 538 N. Market Street Wooster, OH 44691 Tel: 330-263-5248 Fax: 330-263-5247 THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ME BY TELEPHONE AND PERMANENTLY DELETE THE ORIGINAL AND ANY COPY OF THIS E-MAIL AND DESTROY ANY PRINTOUT THEREOF.

HS

Helmut Starr

Thu, Sep 10, 2009 6:56 PM

Thank you for the suggestion, we have something similar in Webster Groves, Missouri (home of Webster University), but we have not used it yet for noise or party houses.

On a somewhat related note, have any of you had any luck with reining in the territorial expansion of your respective universities and the consequent removal of purchased properties from the tax rolls?

[http://www.polsinelli.com/VCardBanner.png]http://www.polsinelli.com/

Helmut Starr
Attorney at law 7733 Forsyth Boulevard
12th Floor
St. Louis, MO 63105http://us.rd.yahoo.com/maps//maps/extmap/*-http://maps.yahoo.com//maps_result?csz=St+Louis%2C+MO+63105-1817&state=MO&uzip=63105&ds=n&name=&desc=&ed=HrNNX.p_0ToD8Snp_h9bV8JxylVI2DVtb0_ZuIWwqRFNX6SgcNXu5UevpgmOIT7SSz1m5vr1Obb12O3R0fPfFcIAPkRB2yhUHUwWrjIlDWp.eH5x&zoomin=yes&BFKey=&mag=2

hstarr@polsinelli.com mailto:hstarr@polsinelli.com
tel: (314) 889-7090
fax: (314) 622-6791

Add me to your address book...http://www.polsinelli.com/vcards/HMSTA.vcf
[http://www.polsinelli.com/EnvironmentTag.png]

From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of May, Michael
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 12:57 PM
To: 'Wayne Karplus'; 'Dick Benson'; 'Universitycities@lists.imla.org'
Subject: Re: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing

Dick:

I agree that very strict enforcement helps. But, beyond that, you might try to model something like our Chronic Nuisance Premises ordinance. It provides that if a location gets a certain number of specified violations - our list is much more serious items than noise or trash, but includes building code, and I don't see why noise or underage drinking couldn't be included - the landlord is notified and required to meet with the Police department and City Attorney to create a plan for eliminating the nuisance. If the landlord doesn't come through, then forfeitures against the landlord start at $1000, which tends to get their attention. The ordinance also provides that the cost of enforcement may be placed on the tax roll, which totaled over $10,000 in one instance. It has proven to be a very effective hammer.

As noted, we tend to use this for houses that have recurring drug or disorderly or prostitution issues, but I don't see why it couldn't be modeled for other regularly recurring offenses.

The ordinance is sec. 25.09 of the Madison General Ordinances, which can be found on the City website: www.cityofmadison.com http://www.cityofmadison.com

Michael P. May
City Attorney
City of Madison
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Rm. 401
Madison, WI 53703
608/266-4511
FAX:608/267-8715
mmay@cityofmadison.com mailto:mmay@cityofmadison.com

PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE

This electronic message is intended only for the designated recipient(s). It may contain privileged or confidential information and should not be disclosed to third parties without our express permission. If you are not the intended recipient, you have received this message in error and review, dissemination or copying of this message is prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete the original message and destroy any electronic or printed copies of this message. Thank you.
From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Wayne Karplus
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:51 AM
To: 'Dick Benson'; 'Universitycities@lists.imla.org'
Subject: Re: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing

Nothing works well, but we have found that rental housing licensing helps. Vigilant enforcement of all property maintenance issue including cars parking in the yard is also helpful.
The biggest help is to post the street "no parking after 11p.m. Violators will be towed." Then tow cars. Student parties are always late at night. Invariably a neighborhood resident's car gets towed, but that is a price to pay for having a quiet neighborhood. We let the street decide whether to post an area for no parking. Parking on all Town streets is banned from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. but is only enforced where posted. Enforcement limited to posted areas is also by ordinance.
We tried something the past two years which has helped a little. The University and Town officials put together a hand-out explaining local ordinances re noise and parking with numbers to call. These were delivered door to door in neighborhoods on the fringe of campus.

Wayne Karplus
Assistant Corporation Counsel
Town of Normal
100 E. Phoenix Ave.
Normal, IL 61761
phone: (309) 454-9507
fax: (309) 454-9609
wkarplus@normal.org
From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Dick Benson
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:25 AM
To: Universitycities@lists.imla.org
Subject: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing

Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a problem that occurs occasionally in our college town.

The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940). Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The clubs are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof reside in the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a student or two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent a house in one of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences become unofficial 'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs, usually to the consternation of the resident neighbors. It is not unusual that the owner/landlord of the rented premises is not a resident of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere well away from the loud parties or other disturbances that may emanate therefrom.

We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but my city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords directly responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a novel approach that works? Thanks for your kind consideration.

Dick Benson

--
Richard R. Benson, Jr.
Law Director
Wooster City Hall
538 N. Market Street
Wooster, OH 44691
Tel: 330-263-5248
Fax: 330-263-5247

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ME BY TELEPHONE AND PERMANENTLY DELETE THE ORIGINAL AND ANY COPY OF THIS E-MAIL AND DESTROY ANY PRINTOUT THEREOF.

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Thank you for the suggestion, we have something similar in Webster Groves, Missouri (home of Webster University), but we have not used it yet for noise or party houses. On a somewhat related note, have any of you had any luck with reining in the territorial expansion of your respective universities and the consequent removal of purchased properties from the tax rolls? [http://www.polsinelli.com/VCardBanner.png]<http://www.polsinelli.com/> Helmut Starr Attorney at law 7733 Forsyth Boulevard 12th Floor St. Louis, MO 63105<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/maps//maps/extmap/*-http://maps.yahoo.com//maps_result?csz=St+Louis%2C+MO+63105-1817&state=MO&uzip=63105&ds=n&name=&desc=&ed=HrNNX.p_0ToD8Snp_h9bV8JxylVI2DVtb0_ZuIWwqRFNX6SgcNXu5UevpgmOIT7SSz1m5vr1Obb12O3R0fPfFcIAPkRB2yhUHUwWrjIlDWp.eH5x&zoomin=yes&BFKey=&mag=2> hstarr@polsinelli.com<mailto:hstarr@polsinelli.com> tel: (314) 889-7090 fax: (314) 622-6791 Add me to your address book...<http://www.polsinelli.com/vcards/HMSTA.vcf> [http://www.polsinelli.com/EnvironmentTag.png] ________________________________ From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of May, Michael Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 12:57 PM To: 'Wayne Karplus'; 'Dick Benson'; 'Universitycities@lists.imla.org' Subject: Re: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing Dick: I agree that very strict enforcement helps. But, beyond that, you might try to model something like our Chronic Nuisance Premises ordinance. It provides that if a location gets a certain number of specified violations - our list is much more serious items than noise or trash, but includes building code, and I don't see why noise or underage drinking couldn't be included - the landlord is notified and required to meet with the Police department and City Attorney to create a plan for eliminating the nuisance. If the landlord doesn't come through, then forfeitures against the landlord start at $1000, which tends to get their attention. The ordinance also provides that the cost of enforcement may be placed on the tax roll, which totaled over $10,000 in one instance. It has proven to be a very effective hammer. As noted, we tend to use this for houses that have recurring drug or disorderly or prostitution issues, but I don't see why it couldn't be modeled for other regularly recurring offenses. The ordinance is sec. 25.09 of the Madison General Ordinances, which can be found on the City website: www.cityofmadison.com<http://www.cityofmadison.com> Michael P. May City Attorney City of Madison 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Rm. 401 Madison, WI 53703 608/266-4511 FAX:608/267-8715 mmay@cityofmadison.com<mailto:mmay@cityofmadison.com> PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE This electronic message is intended only for the designated recipient(s). It may contain privileged or confidential information and should not be disclosed to third parties without our express permission. If you are not the intended recipient, you have received this message in error and review, dissemination or copying of this message is prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete the original message and destroy any electronic or printed copies of this message. Thank you. From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Wayne Karplus Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:51 AM To: 'Dick Benson'; 'Universitycities@lists.imla.org' Subject: Re: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing Nothing works well, but we have found that rental housing licensing helps. Vigilant enforcement of all property maintenance issue including cars parking in the yard is also helpful. The biggest help is to post the street "no parking after 11p.m. Violators will be towed." Then tow cars. Student parties are always late at night. Invariably a neighborhood resident's car gets towed, but that is a price to pay for having a quiet neighborhood. We let the street decide whether to post an area for no parking. Parking on all Town streets is banned from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. but is only enforced where posted. Enforcement limited to posted areas is also by ordinance. We tried something the past two years which has helped a little. The University and Town officials put together a hand-out explaining local ordinances re noise and parking with numbers to call. These were delivered door to door in neighborhoods on the fringe of campus. Wayne Karplus Assistant Corporation Counsel Town of Normal 100 E. Phoenix Ave. Normal, IL 61761 phone: (309) 454-9507 fax: (309) 454-9609 wkarplus@normal.org From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Dick Benson Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 11:25 AM To: Universitycities@lists.imla.org Subject: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a problem that occurs occasionally in our college town. The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940). Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The clubs are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof reside in the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a student or two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent a house in one of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences become unofficial 'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs, usually to the consternation of the resident neighbors. It is not unusual that the owner/landlord of the rented premises is not a resident of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere well away from the loud parties or other disturbances that may emanate therefrom. We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but my city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords directly responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a novel approach that works? Thanks for your kind consideration. Dick Benson -- Richard R. Benson, Jr. Law Director Wooster City Hall 538 N. Market Street Wooster, OH 44691 Tel: 330-263-5248 Fax: 330-263-5247 THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. 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If you have received this electronic mail message in error, please reply to the sender and take the steps necessary to delete the message completely from your computer system. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: Unless expressly stated otherwise, any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this e-mail, including attachments, is not intended or written by Polsinelli Shughart PC to be used, and any such tax advice cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by the Internal Revenue Service.

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Elias, Abigail

Fri, Sep 11, 2009 4:07 PM

Tickets for trash and other violations that are property violations are
to the property owner - posted on the building. We don't care who threw
the red plastic cup on the ground. If it's on the ground on the
property, it's a property problem and we don't ticket the person who put
it there. It's the problem of the property that nobody picked it up.
We then have a pretty quick turn around after a ticket (24 hrs., I
think) before city crews go out and clean up the mess and then assess
the cost to the property. The biggest issue for the landlords is their
ability to get notice in time for them to clean it up or pressure their
tenants to clean up if the tenants don't take care of it. At the
landlords' request, we've looked at posting courtesy copies of the
notices on our web site so that property managers can look once a day to
see if they have an issue at one of their properties - or possibly
implementing a notice mechanism via email or Twitter.

In terms of noise, our PD has "party patrols" that tend to be more
active at the beginning of the school year (to get the students used to
the fact that the PD is watching and active on noise issues) and at
other times when noisy parties are most common. Their usual practice is
a warning first and then a ticket. Those don't go to the landlord. For
fraternity and sorority houses - as well as other student parties -
there also have been underage drinking issues.

We have had a couple of landlords where we have shut down their
properties as nuisances, but I don't think any was party related. We
may have shut down one frat house as a nuisance due to ongoing trash and
maintenance issues.

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information in this transaction is intended
only for the individual or entity named above. It may be legally
privileged and confidential. If you have received this information in
error, please notify me immediately and delete this transmission and any
other documents, files and information transmitted herewith. If the
reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby
notified that any disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of
this communication or its contents is strictly prohibited.

A mind once expanded by a new idea never returns to its original
dimensions. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org
[mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Dick
Benson
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 12:25 PM
To: Universitycities@lists.imla.org
Subject: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing

Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a
problem that occurs occasionally in our college town.

The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts
college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940).
Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and
those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The
clubs are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof
reside in the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a
student or two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent
a house in one of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences
become unofficial 'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs,
usually to the consternation of the resident neighbors. It is not
unusual that the owner/landlord of the rented premises is not a resident
of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere well away from the loud parties
or other disturbances that may emanate therefrom.

We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but
my city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords
directly responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a
novel approach that works? Thanks for your kind consideration.

Dick Benson

--
Richard R. Benson, Jr.
Law Director
Wooster City Hall
538 N. Market Street
Wooster, OH 44691
Tel: 330-263-5248
Fax: 330-263-5247

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED
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RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION
OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE
RECEIVED THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ME BY
TELEPHONE AND PERMANENTLY DELETE THE ORIGINAL AND ANY COPY OF THIS
E-MAIL AND DESTROY ANY PRINTOUT THEREOF.

Tickets for trash and other violations that are property violations are to the property owner - posted on the building. We don't care who threw the red plastic cup on the ground. If it's on the ground on the property, it's a property problem and we don't ticket the person who put it there. It's the problem of the property that nobody picked it up. We then have a pretty quick turn around after a ticket (24 hrs., I think) before city crews go out and clean up the mess and then assess the cost to the property. The biggest issue for the landlords is their ability to get notice in time for them to clean it up or pressure their tenants to clean up if the tenants don't take care of it. At the landlords' request, we've looked at posting courtesy copies of the notices on our web site so that property managers can look once a day to see if they have an issue at one of their properties - or possibly implementing a notice mechanism via email or Twitter. In terms of noise, our PD has "party patrols" that tend to be more active at the beginning of the school year (to get the students used to the fact that the PD is watching and active on noise issues) and at other times when noisy parties are most common. Their usual practice is a warning first and then a ticket. Those don't go to the landlord. For fraternity and sorority houses - as well as other student parties - there also have been underage drinking issues. We have had a couple of landlords where we have shut down their properties as nuisances, but I don't think any was party related. We may have shut down one frat house as a nuisance due to ongoing trash and maintenance issues. Abigail Elias, Chief Assistant City Attorney | City of Ann Arbor, Michigan | mailto:aelias@a2gov.org <mailto:aelias@a2gov.org> | NOTE NEW TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Office: (734) 794-6170 (+ Ext. 41888 for me) | Direct: (734) 794-6188 | Internal extension: 41888 | Fax: (734) 994-4954 | Non-City Cell: (734) 320-7953 CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information in this transaction is intended only for the individual or entity named above. It may be legally privileged and confidential. If you have received this information in error, please notify me immediately and delete this transmission and any other documents, files and information transmitted herewith. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication or its contents is strictly prohibited. A mind once expanded by a new idea never returns to its original dimensions. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. From: universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org [mailto:universitycities-bounces@lists.imla.org] On Behalf Of Dick Benson Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 12:25 PM To: Universitycities@lists.imla.org Subject: [Universitycities] Off-Campus Housing Good afternoon, colleagues. I'm looking for a bit of assistance with a problem that occurs occasionally in our college town. The College of Wooster (approx. 2,000 students), a private liberal arts college, is surrounded by older neighborhoods (housing circa 1890-1940). Many years ago the college banned national fraternities/sororities, and those that were then in existence at the time became local clubs. The clubs are all located on campus in dormitories, and the members thereof reside in the dorms (or 'sections', as they are known). Occasionally, a student or two will get permission to move off-campus, and they'll rent a house in one of the older adjacent neighborhoods. Those residences become unofficial 'houses' or 'party houses' for the local clubs, usually to the consternation of the resident neighbors. It is not unusual that the owner/landlord of the rented premises is not a resident of Wooster, but instead lives somewhere well away from the loud parties or other disturbances that may emanate therefrom. We have the usual noise, trash and property maintenance ordinances, but my city administration would like to find a way to hold the landlords directly responsible in a meaningful way. Have any of you come upon a novel approach that works? Thanks for your kind consideration. Dick Benson -- Richard R. Benson, Jr. Law Director Wooster City Hall 538 N. Market Street Wooster, OH 44691 Tel: 330-263-5248 Fax: 330-263-5247 THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS ATTORNEY PRIVILEGED AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY NAMED ABOVE. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY ME BY TELEPHONE AND PERMANENTLY DELETE THE ORIGINAL AND ANY COPY OF THIS E-MAIL AND DESTROY ANY PRINTOUT THEREOF.

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Off-Campus Housing