Princeton Borough Council's first meeting of the school year was cancelled last night because of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The council was planning to discuss the processes for handling a possible alcohol ordinance in the borough.
The ordinance — which would permit police to cite underage drinkers on private property — was a pressing issue in town-gown affairs last spring.
The Princeton Borough public safety committee introduced the ordinance to the full council in March. The council then postponed discussion until September because the public hearing would have occurred during the University's reading and exam periods.
"I promised the students I wouldn't do that so it will wait until the fall," Mayor Marvin Reed said. "We'd be putting them at a disadvantage."
Delaying introduction until May would have pushed discussion of the ordinance past Commencement, leaving students unable to participate in the decision.
While nearby towns like Lawrence, Ewing and West Windsor passed the ordinance within a few months of discussion, it has been more than a year since Borough Council first heard about the ordinance.
Former Borough Police Chief Thomas Michaud briefed the council last September about the N.J. state law that allows towns to adopt the ordinance.
University students quickly bemoaned the possibility of an ordinance, which council members said targeted underage drinking at the eating clubs.
Campus leaders encouraged students to change their voting registration from their home district to Princeton to support council members who opposed the ordinance.
Before council elections in November, nearly all council members expressed hesitation about the ordinance. Some officials said they were "absolutely" and "100 percent" against it.
After elections, discussion of the ordinance remained dormant for several months while the public safety committee focused on livery licenses. The committee awaited advice from community alcohol counseling groups.
However, the ordinance resurfaced in February after council members learned about several alcohol-related injuries and two sexual assaults that occurred on campus.
In addition to the assaults, 15 students received medical attention at McCosh Health Center, Princeton Medical Center and Capital Health System in Trenton for alcohol-related injuries and intoxication during the weekend of eating club initiations, Feb. 9 and 10.
Police believe these incidents stemmed from excessive drinking at eating clubs.
Prompted by monthly police reports that listed the incidents, council members began to reexamine the issue in February. To prevent minors from obtaining alcohol in eating clubs, the Inter-Club Council began issuing wristbands at the doors to students older than 21.
The long-awaited response from the Human Services Commission urged against the ordinance. But the discussion finally reached a climax at a public safety committee meeting in March when the committee recommended the ordinance for discussion by the Borough Council.
Support for the ordinance among council members has been split since the February initiations. It remains unclear what the council will do with the ordinance if and when it comes up for discussion.
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