Sounds like increasing fines to $300 for alcholol related infractions is getting the attention of the target demographic.
On Monday night the venerable Amherst Select Board heard this fresh faced, clean cut student make a plea for reducing the $300 fines for first offenders to community service instead.
Since only the start of the school year Amherst PD has issued approximately 140 of the town bylaw citations with the $300 fine. Ouch! Just think of how many textbooks can no longer be afforded.
Interestingly since the loosening of pot laws to a "civil infraction" police can only give out $100 fines for possession of less than an ounce.
20 comments:
O,boo-hoo.....they just don't want to ask mommy and daddy for the money and have to tell them what it is being used for! Hit'em where it hurts! Their pockets! Since our roads have been neglected and need to be addressed, we should up the alcohol fine to $500.00 and use the money for the up coming repairs!
If they don't run to mommy and daddy then they will have to get a job, maybe that will keep them too busy to party the night away!
boo hoo boo hoo
Unfortunately, the state only allows a max of $300
"a twenty year old kid" doesn't he know that the legal drinking age is twenty one? Keep the fines!
Oh, Amherst (read: Anon 1:40), you have so much disdain for those damn kids who prop up your economy.
I just moved back to Amherst, actually. I guess since I'm no longer a student I should start calling the cops on the kids at Aspen Chase and cutting up Nerf footballs with my lawnmower.
Blogger S.P. Sullivan said...
Oh, Amherst (read: Anon 1:40), you have so much disdain for those damn kids who prop up your economy.
"prop up your economy"? Are you serious? How much do think the town of Amherst spends on Police and Fire calls dealing with these "kids"? Go back to NoHo and rent a meth house.
Shake and Bake, here have a cookie
When they tell you it hurts, and they want to negotiate an alternative disposition, THEN you know that the deterrent is working.
A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges
http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/niaaacollegematerials/taskforce/TaskForce_TOC.aspx
Hey Larry,
U must be busy tonight....or maybe haven't had the chance to read today's paper....
2.17 M GAP FOR AMHERST....ahhhh...didn't they just boast, no too long ago, about having a 700,000 + surplus???
So much for Mr. S.P. Sullivan's delusion that these "kids" prop up our economy. I think it is time that we voters demand that a forensic accountant examine all records in this town and find out who has been lining their pockets, and the town needs to stop giving away money I.E., paying town manager for not finishing the contract year, paying the sup of sch. entire contract without finishing the year...
what say U Larry?
AFD broke the record for calls last month. If you call them, will they come? Or will you have to wait for an ambulance from Noho?
http://www.amherstfirefighters.org/response.html
Very sad when the average homeowner pays $4000.00- $7000.00 a year in property taxes, that they (tax payer) may need medical emergency help and are unable to get it because our ambulances are all tied up due to drunken and drugged up students. Probably won't change until someone dies due to lack of service, then maybe it might be addressed at the next meeting??
Mother, Jugs and Speed ?
"Larry Schaffer"
WAAAAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA...
EOM
""prop up your economy"? Are you serious? How much do think the town of Amherst spends on Police and Fire calls dealing with these "kids"? Go back to NoHo and rent a meth house."
I bet that a business owner/property owner in Amherst make a lot of money off of UMass kids. I would guess it is more than the cost (after billing) of police/fire calls.
We probably would have a Hadley/hilltown sized/style Fire Dept if it were not for UMass and the students. Not sure about the police department, I would guess that Hadley has a larger police department because of UMass as well.
UMass kids have health insurance - so don't we (the town and tax payers) make money off those ambulance calls? I bet an outside ambulance contractor wouldn't mind that revenue. I wonder if Amherst gets paid for more ambulance calls than compared to other cities/towns.
I don't see the problem with town emergency services being busy because of UMass kids - if those services would not be present in their current state if not for the UMass kids. And if they/we (the town employees and tax payers) don't like it, at least the ambulance part can be privatized. Not sure how Xe would work with running private police force.
I also don't see the problem with the $300 fine if that helps cover the increased cost of running the police department on these buys nights - unless the police department starts just sending bills when they respond to calls. Like the ambulance. Maybe just bill non-tax payers.
Yeah, or maybe we should shift over to that cold concept used in Tennessee where firefighters stood by and did nothing, allowing a house to burn to the ground because the homeowner was behind on the $75 annual "fire protection fee".
The problem is not just that the fire dept. is kept busy with student issues, the problem is that year after year they are SEVERELY UNDERSTAFFED! Maybe the new Chief will be able to knock some sense into the powers that be.
Would the fire department have enough staffing if they didn't need to work on the ambulance?
The ambulance has to be a moneymaker for the Town -- have you seen one of those bills lately? I think it's about $600 for a trip to Cooley Dick.
I have had wonderful results with our ambulance service -- don't even think of privatizing them! We would have to wait a lot longer to get a private company (from out of town) to our house in Amherst. Our EMT's are highly trained and competent. We also provide the ambulance for Hadley and Pelham (I don't know where else).
But back to the original question: yes, the 'big stick' is having impact. The students who have to pay that fine (or get the money from Mummy and Daddy) will learn that there are consequences to their actions.
Let's face it: UMass drives this economy. We just need to learn how to co-exist peacefully.
"Let's face it: UMass drives this economy. We just need to learn how to co-exist peacefully."
They sure do. They "sometimes literally" drive the fire department. You wouldn't have the great paramedics that we have without them.
Being a tax payer and registered voter, life long resident too...I know that we (Amherst) has the BEST fire department, paramedic EMT's and Police Officers bar none....they are over worked, overwhelmed, and underpaid by far....and they are very tired of babysitting these "kids" who hold are future in their hands...If these kids can't grasp that their actions now, will play into their futures of tomorrow...there is not much hope for the new "work force" that we will be depending on for Social Security, pensions, stock market, law enforcement, etc...
"The ambulance has to be a moneymaker for the Town -- have you seen one of those bills lately? I think it's about $600 for a trip to Cooley Dick."
I got a bill for exactly that less than a couple of years ago. Bill was +/- $1300, and the town sent me the bill because my insurance questioned having to pay the full rate.
I pay more in Amherst prop tax than I do fed.income tax. It hurts to realize that I didn't even get ambulance service included!
Any "public records" showing how much Amherst spends/pays for over-time for police and fire personnel????? Bet it is whole hell-a-lot ppl!
Post a Comment