By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Underage drinkers in Campbell County soon may find it harder to get booze.

Campbell County Fiscal Court members will consider a countywide keg law at their meeting tonight. If adopted, as expected, on Dec. 17, the keg law would make it illegal for adults to provide alcohol to minors.

"My main concern has been, and continues to be, adults who throw parties and allow minors to drink at them,'' said Campbell County Attorney Justin Verst. "I've had complaints from parents of other parents throwing parties for kids as young as 14 or 15 where they serve beer. Hopefully, this (proposed law) will send a stronger message to those parents.''

The proposal calls for first-time offenders of the misdemeanor statute to pay a fine of up to $250 and/or spend up to 90 days in jail, Verst said. Subsequent offenses call for fines of up to $500 and/or up to a year in jail.

Many cities in Campbell County have adopted keg laws similar to the one Verst has proposed for the entire county. Among the county's 15 cities that currently enforce keg laws: Alexandria, Bellevue, Fort Thomas, Highland Heights, Newport and Wilder.

Fort Thomas, which has had a keg law since 1986, increased the penalties in 1991, City Clerk Dottie Ivie said. That law fines first-time offenders $250 to $500and $500 to $1,000 for each subsequent offense.

Verst proposed the countywide keg law at a meeting of Campbell County mayors in October. Although some sought clarifications, the proposed ordinance is essentially the same and has the support of fiscal court, he said.

The countywide keg law would cover Campbell County cities that don't have keg laws as well as the unincorporated areas. Verst said he proposed the law after parents complained that their minor children were drinking at parties in parts of Campbell County that weren't covered by the city keg ordinances.

Although Northern Kentucky University is in Campbell County, Verst said the complaints he received involved underage drinking at the high-school level.

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com