The Story County Board of Supervisors is considering an ordinance that would track the purchase of kegs in hopes of discouraging underage drinking in the area.

Two years ago, the Story County Prevention Policy Board, a committee of Youth & Shelter Services in Ames, presented the idea for keg tracking. At the time, the board had reservations because cities could potentially pass similar ordinances on their own, said County Supervisor Wayne Clinton.

The board identified kegs as a growing problem when underage citizens attend or are invited to parties where alcohol is readily available. The group presented registration as a way to prevent or restrict alcohol consumption by minors, he said.

“My personal experience indicates [underage alcohol consumption] is a significant problem, not only nationally but also in Ames and Story County,” said Capt. Gary Foster, chief deputy of the Story County Sheriff’s Office.

The policy would create a process to regulate the sale of large quantities of accessible alcohol, including beer kegs. Its key component is to aid law enforcement in tracing and prosecuting providers of alcoholic keg beverages to minors, Clinton said.

Foster said he thinks the ordinance will have a positive effect on residents by reducing underage drinking.

The ordinance would also be preventive.

If adults planned to purchase a keg they knew would be used by minors, that person might not do so knowing personal information would be attached to the purchase, he said.

“Anything we can do to cut down on underage and binge drinking is a benefit to society,” said Foster.

Mike Kadolph, assistant manager at the Keg Shop, 218 Welch Ave., said he does not think that kegs contribute to underage drinking.

Although there are large quantities of beer available when kegs are present, there is also a lot of alcohol in general available at parties, regardless of the drinkers’ ages, he said.

He also said he is pessimistic the ordinance would dissuade underage drinking. People are just going to purchase smaller quantities instead of a keg, Kadolph said.

The proposed ordinance would require all retail sales of kegs of two or more gallons to be assigned a number and have it prominently displayed.

When people purchase kegs, they would be required to provide current photo identification to the seller — which would be recorded with the keg’s identification number in a log for one calendar year.

The log would also note when and by whom the keg is returned and the condition of the sticker; it should be attached and undamaged upon return to the vendor.

The log is to be presented to any law enforcement officer upon request, according to the ordinance.

Although the keg tracking process would create more work for The Keg Shop, which sells anywhere between 30 to 100 kegs per week, Kadolph said the business will not suffer.

If people end up buying more cases of beer, the business would profit because kegs are cheaper compared to individually packaged beer, he said.

Twenty-three states have passed keg registration laws similar to the ordinance, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Utah has banned kegs all together, according to the Alcohol Policy Information System.

“These are not just Iowa concerns; these are national concerns,” Clinton said.

“It’s important to have a mechanism … to discourage underage drinking and make access to these things more difficult.”

Although keg registration would create more work for vendors and customers, anything that can be done to reduce alcohol consumption by young people is beneficial, Foster said.

“There are probably others who don’t feel that’s a problem or who don’t want to be part of a solution,” he said.

If the ordinance is passed, it would become effective 60 days after its approval.

The extra time gives retailers an opportunity to secure the necessary stickers and give law enforcement and the county attorney time to educate merchants and the public about the proposal, Clinton said.

The board will next meet on Tuesday.