Kinnelon Underage Drinking Committee to Meet Monday

underage drinking ordinance advisory committee will be meeting for the first time Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Kinnelon Municipal Building.

The inaugural meeting , but later postponed. The committee will be meeting four times in January before making a recommendation to the council. The meeting dates are Monday, Jan. 16, 23 and 30. All of the meetings will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the conference room of the municipal building at 130 Kinnelon Road.

The Kinnelon Council formed the committee and appointed members after considering adopting -in the form of fines and eventually the suspension of a driver's license-to individuals who are underage and are found drinking or in possession of alcohol on private property. Currently, the borough does have an ordinance in place for those found drinking on public property.

Under the ordinance, police still would have to have a reason to enter private property to investigate.

The members, who were appointed to the committee through Feb. 15, are Pat Caserta, Mark Gaw, Nicholas Zichello, Donna McLaughlin, Lila Helu, Jeanine Mazzola and Michele Barabash-Fradkin.

After , the ordinance  for further review of the committee. At the end of January, the committee will present its reccomendation to the council.

Chief John Finkle has said that he believes the ordinance could decrease incidents of underage drinking in Kinnelon.