The Village Community Task Force unveiled a new ordinance during a town hall meeting on September 7.
According to the ordinance, any social gathering held within the Village of New Concord is considered a nuisance if it “threatens injury, inconvenience, or alarm to persons or damage to property nearby.”
Those who violate the new ordinance will be charged with a minor misdemeanor on the first offense, resulting in a $153 fine.
If a violation is found within the first six months of the first offense, the host of the gathering will then be charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor and $220.
The ordinance states that any nuisance includes but is not limited to: Unlawful loud noise, disorderly conduct, public indecency, or criminal mischief.
The ordinance was approved by Village Council in June and will take full effect October 1. A 30-day “grace period” is currently in effect until September 30.
The ordinance comes a few months after village residents and Muskingum University students
The task force is composed of administrators and members of both the university and the Village of New Concord communities, including Village Administrator Charlotte Colley, Muskingum Dean of Students Susan Waryck, and New Concord Police Chief Mindy Peck, and Muskingum Senior Ryan Lewton.
A second town hall meeting will be held in October for those who were unable to attend to the September 7 meeting.