The city attorney’s office recently proposed a $123 increase for the noise violation fine in Eau Claire, which would bring the total fine to $335.

Not only is the potential addition to the fine unnecessary, it would also be ineffective.

Any residents that aren’t frightened enough by the current $200-plus fine probably won’t bother to turn the volume down a notch because of the increase.

This increase would be about as effective as the increase in fines for underage drinking that took place last year. In other words, it will have virtually no effect at all.

The apartments and rental homes that most UW-Eau Claire off-campus students live in are in neighborhoods that are primarily student-inhabited.

This can create a unique situation among student residents and those beyond their college years.

College students traditionally have more parties – and more loud parties – than non-students. But it should be remembered that residents knew they were moving into a student-saturated area (except for the few exceptions where homes have been passed through generations before student housing had been prevalent in the area).

Obviously a noise violation is just one of several fines party hosts could be slapped with. But if city officials want to take the issue seriously, they might want to consider community service as an added penalty for repeat-offenders rather than tacking $123 more on the fine.

But maybe the best idea is for residents to avoid situations where noise citations are needed.

If students would get to know their neighbors, both students and non-students, many of these problems could be eliminated.

It would be unrealistic to pretend that every student and every non-student will live together in perfect harmony if only they introduced themselves to one another.

But it does go a long way when students give out their phone number and asked for a call when the noise is getting out of hand.

Because if the neighbor doesn’t have the partiers’ number, the phone call might be going to the police.