In a surprisingly considerate move, Story County Attorney Stephen Holmes has decided to wait until fall to pursue a keg-registration ordinance for Story County.

The ordinance would require all keg purchasers to show photo identification and provide a current address before carting their keg off to be consumed. The purchase would be recorded in a log, and buyers would be assigned an identification number for the rental that could be used to track the keg.

Holmes developed the bill with help from members of Youth and Shelter Services and the bill was proposed by Holmes and the Story County Board of Supervisors. Holmes said he decided to push back discussion until Iowa State resumes classes in the fall because he didn’t want students, who have expressed frustrations with the ordinance, to feel that their input was not considered. He is also trying to investigate how to securely label a keg in case retailers need to connect the buyer with the keg.

Supporters of the ordinance had hoped it would be in effect before the fall 2005 semester and are disappointed by the setback.

We, however, are not.

Although the keg ordinance is not designed to specifically target ISU students, it will undoubtedly affect us. Half of Ames residents are college students, and although the focus of the ordinance is to make it harder for kegs to be used inappropriately, many students are concerned campus parties will be targeted by the police, even when students are 21 and allowed to both purchase a keg and drink from it.

At a campus open forum on March 25, students expressed their concerns about the ordinance and said they have not had enough opportunities to discuss it. Students also said they do not want the regulation to pass during the summer months, when most students are not in Ames.

Students are not the only ones who believe the ordinance has not been sufficiently discussed. Members of the Ames City Council also feel more discussion is needed before the Story County Board of Supervisors makes a decision concerning keg registration.

City Councilman Steve Goodhue said the city of Ames needs to be more involved with the decision-making process if its police force is going to enforce the ordinance.

Councilwoman Sharon Wirth said she believed the council had only had limited “official interaction” with the Board of Supervisors.

It’s obvious to the students and the City Council that this regulation needs further discussion before it is passed. Thankfully, it is now obvious to Holmes as well. His decision to hold off on the keg ordinance until the fall shows that he sincerely wants the input of the Ames community, including ISU students.

We commend him for that.