City, U of M groups partner to address noisy, unruly properties near campus
Making noisy and unruly parties a thing of the past is the goal of a new partnership to improve livability near the University of Minnesota. The "Southeast Strategic Compliance Team" includes the City's Regulatory Services Department, the Minneapolis Police 2nd Precinct, the Fire Department, City Council members, University of Minnesota Student Affairs, the University of Minnesota Office of Student Conduct, and the University District Alliance. The team’s goal is to strengthen already existing partnerships and effectively coordinate resources to educate people and change behaviors.
The team works to improve neighborhood livability by working with property owners and residents who are habitually in violation of ordinances. Tougher enforcement of those ordinances is one way the partnership is making a difference in the neighborhoods. Some of the enforcement tools include warning letters, administrative citations, rental license inspections and rental license revocation.
In addition to enforcement, public education is a key way the team is combining its resources to reach out into the community. Public education that’s been done so far includes:
- Door knocking in the University area to distribute information.
- Educational materials to build awareness among property owners, tenants and homeowners on the importance of using 311 and 911 to request city services and report problem properties, suspicious activity, or crimes.
- A town hall meeting in April to educate community members about the City's new social host ordinance. The meeting was well-attended by U of M students. The new social host ordinance:
- holds individuals (the social host) legally responsible for hosting or permitting a party on their property where persons under 21 years of age possess or consume alcohol regardless of who supplied the alcohol;
- applies to situations where the social host knows that alcohol is being possessed or consumed by those under 21 years of age; but
- does not apply to conduct solely between an underage person and his or her parents in the parents household and legally protected religious observances.
The Southeast Strategic Compliance Team will continue to build on and evaluate its efforts to curb noisy and unruly parties as it moves forward with its work.
Published May. 14, 2010