At the request of the State College Borough Council, State Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre) has drafted legislation to create an additional $150 to $250 fine for alcohol-related crimes.

The Borough Council is also still considering a per-drink alcohol tax, introduced in January, as part of its plans to recover borough costs for alcohol-related incidents, Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said.

The proposal for additional fines for crimes comes "on the heels of a request from Tom Fountaine and borough council" to create legislation, Conklin's chief of staff Tor Michaels said.

State College Police Sgt. Keith Robb said the borough currently has a sliding fine from $50 to $300 depending on the severity of the alcohol-related crimes such as underage drinking citations. Adding an additional $150 to $250 would create a steep fine, he said.

"I clearly think the cost defined would be imposed on those who commit the violations," Fountaine said.

Borough Council member Elizabeth Goreham said council spoke with Conklin a few months ago to state its main concerns for the borough, citing alcohol-related issues as a problem.

Conklin's proposed additional fine could be the answer to these concerns, she said.

Finable alcohol incidents have not yet been specified, Michaels said, but added that it would include crimes such as public drunkenness.

The legislation draft has not been presented to council, Fountaine said.

The bill is currently still in the draft stage, but will be distributed to the public, as well as the Pennsylvania House, once it is completed, Michaels said.

"This is absolutely not a tax -- this is a fined penalty. I want to be very clear on that," he said.

Fountaine said he believes the council is still looking into a tax on alcohol, in addition to Conklin's proposed monetary penalty, "because the people who are responsible for the problems should pay for the costs."

The council currently does not have authority to levy a tax, so they would need to work with other towns to gain support in Harrisburg, Borough Council President Cathy Dauler said.

There is an impact on the community regarding alcohol-related events that the fine would not cover, Fountaine said, adding that many of these incidents cost the borough money and resources and do not always end in an arrest.

He cited the impact on the medical community, costs related to law enforcement and vandalism as incidents that would not be addressed by the proposed fine.

Fountaine said State College generally employs a larger police force than other cities of a comparable size.

Goreham said the per-drink tax may no longer be the council's focus. It would be difficult to target, due to resistance from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and the Liquor Lobby, she said.

Goreham said the council is currently pursuing numerous options for offsetting alcohol costs, including sharing liquor store taxes with Harrisburg.

However, borough council does not currently have the authority to share in the liquor retailers' taxes, she said.

"We would have to be given the authority," she said, adding that it is something that would require lobbying in Harrisburg.

Robb said increased fines may work, however past efforts have seemed to yield minimal results.

"It's one of those things ... if you hit them in the pocketbook maybe it will deter them," he said.

Michaels said he could not speculate on an inaction date for the fine since the legislation is still in the preliminary stage.

"It would not be seen as such a minor infraction. The punishment would fit the crime -- the people abusing alcohol are the ones who pay for abuse," Goreham said.

She said she both applauds and appreciates the bill; however, it will need to gain support from other representatives and towns.