City officials call for solutions to student noise and trash violations
Graduation celebrations among Miami University students living in the Mile Square brought noise violations and plenty of litter, city officials said during a May 20 meeting. Now, they're asking for more enforcement next school year.
As Miami University students left Oxford for the summer in the past week, Oxford officials at City Hall raised concerns about litter and noise levels.
Vice Mayor Chantel Raghu has lived within the Mile Square for the past eight years. While that hasn’t normally been an issue, she said during a May 20 City Council meeting, her student neighbors this past year made it more difficult.
After an especially rowdy night from her neighbors during graduation weekend, Raghu said the city needs to address how to enforce noise and litter ordinances more effectively.
Raghu and her husband moved to the other side of the house to get sleep because of the noise level from their student neighbors. The situation got worse during graduation weekend, when she said the students were screaming and throwing furniture, and she finally called the Oxford Police Department (OPD).
While OPD did send an officer, Raghu said the situation continued for hours after the police left. She opted not to call again because she didn’t want to expend the city’s resources
“These ordinances are there for a reason to try to make sure everyone is a good neighbor, so how can we work on enforcing it, making it so that it’s fair to the person whose calling? Honestly, the reason I didn’t call is, I was scared that’s what would happen.”
Graduating seniors often use plastic confetti for photos, Raghu added, an issue which has environmental consequences for the town. The use of confetti, as well as trash left in yards after parties, frequently sparks debate among Oxford’s permanent residents.
Mayor Bill Snavely agreed that the city needs to take a serious look at litter enforcement, particularly around graduation time. He had friends from out of state visit this past weekend and said he saw beer cans scattered around prominent properties at 4 p.m. Sunday.
“By 4 o’clock, it needs to have been cleaned up … and I hope that we do a better job next year of policing that,” Snavely said.
Police Chief John Jones said the department does issue litter and noise citations. He encouraged neighbors experiencing noise violations to call a second time if the issue continues after a police response. However, OPD does face enforcement issues because it has limited staff on patrol duty at any given time and needs to prioritize crashes and other calls.
“We understand that when it’s a complaint, that it’s already disturbed someone, so they’re more likely to get a ticket,” Jones said. “... The officers are going to traffic crashes, and many other social issues. When you’ve got two officers working the road, we’re limited in what we can do.”
Oxford is beginning to lay out its budget priorities for 2026, including through a June 17 work session which Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene said could be an opportunity to set enforcement as a priority. City Manager Doug Elliott said the staff has several ideas to cut down on noise and trash violations next year. He suggested making property owners themselves, rather than just tenants, partially responsible for some violations.
Other business
After months of negotiations, Oxford City Council voted unanimously to approve an agreement with EVR Investments, LLC, a property owner along the proposed trail alignment for Phase Five of the Oxford Area Trail System. The city had previously voted to move forward with the appropriations process to get an easement if necessary. Under the agreement, the city will pay $295,000 for an easement and a 3-acre parcel of the property, which will be separated from the rest of the land by the trail. The city will create a “natural barrier” along the trail, install trail cameras and post signage denoting private property.
In a split decision, City Council voted 4-2 to grant a $1,400 parking fee waiver for the Oxford Masonic Lodge’s car show, set for Saturday, June 28. Raghu and Snavely voted against the resolution. City staff are currently working to create guidelines to more objectively decide when to grant fee waiver requests.
Council members unanimously supported a subgrant agreement which puts the Talawanda Oxford Pantry and Social Services’ new building one step closer to construction. The city applied for $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding from Butler County to create the new facility, which will bring a range of social services under one roof. The agreement ensures proper use of funds.
Community Development Director Sam Perry introduced an ordinance to repeal and replace a chapter of its zoning code to correct an error. A change made this February accidentally removed the primary residence requirement for short-term rentals added last summer. The ordinance will be voted on at a future meeting.
Oxford City Council will meet again at 7:30 p.m. June 3. The meeting had previously been moved to a different date to account for staff and council member absences, but was rescheduled to the original date because of grant funding deadlines.
