Milltown enacts Underage Drinking Ordinance

The Milltown Borough Council voted on Monday, June 9, 2008 to enact penalties for youths who are caught drinking or possessing alcohol on private property, aligning the borough with surrounding municipalities that have taken a similar approach in recent years.Under an ordinance unanimously adopted by the council, violators would face a three-tier system of sanctions, including fines up to $500 and up to a six-month delay in obtaining their driver’s licenses. First offenders under 17 years old would be subject to 24 hours of community service, while a second violation would lead to 40 hours of community service and a $100 fine, according to the ordinance.

Third and subsequent offenses would carry 80 hours of community service, a $500 fine and a three-month suspension or postponement of driving privileges. Meanwhile, offenders under 17 would face postponement of six months after their 17th birthday.
The law allows Milltown to police private property in an effort to prevent underage drinking, reflecting measures taken by the majority of nearby towns since state legislation in 2000 gave them the power to do so.

Despite privacy concerns resulting from such ordinances, officials at Monday’s Borough Council meeting said the law is not meant to intrude into residents’ lives, but to make sure Milltown is not a magnet for youth drinkers throughout the area. The law has already been in place in neighboring East Brunswick and North Brunswick.

As of late last month, 15 of the other 24 municipalities in Middlesex County had such a law on the books, with penalties similar to those contained in the Milltown ordinance.