At Monday’s Urbana City Council meeting, Charlie Smyth, Ward 1, commented that the city needs to revise its permit process after receiving more than 20 noise complaints from residents in West Urbana about a fraternity party Saturday night on Dorner Drive and Pennsylvania Avenue. There are two fraternities located at the corners of the intersection, and Smyth said he is still unsure which fraternity had the party.

Both the fraternity and the Urbana Police thought they had the proper permit to have a live, amplified band play on their private property until midnight, Smyth said. Although they abided by their time limit and the band stopped playing at midnight, he said private parties on private property have to abide by the city’s noise ordinance.

The noise was so loud it could be heard more than a mile away and windows were rattling a half-mile away from the party, Smyth said. He received complaints from residences who had to sleep on the other side of their homes with earplugs.

“It was a mistake,” Smyth said. “The city needs to clean up the permit process so that it doesn’t happen again.”

The Council also heard from concerned residents about the financial burden of having to pay for illegal sewer connections, which allow untreated waste to empty directly into a storm drain from a home. Although most of these illegal connections were done long before the current homeowners moved in, residents have been expected to incur all costs for the repairs.

“I wasn’t born when these connections were made and now it’s my expense,” said Michael Pittman, an Urbana resident.

Pittman and his wife Diane Pittman found out they had an illegal connection two months ago and have been given a minimum estimate cost of $6,200 if further complications do not occur. City roads have to be torn up to fix the problem, but she and her husband have to pay, Diane Pittman said.

The city is considering a cost-share option, which would require it to pay 50 percent of the costs needed for the repairs up to $4,000. About two or three illegal connections are discovered each year, forcing the city to budget at least $8,000.

“We need to take care of what’s here if we expect other people to want to come here,” Heather Stevenson, Ward 6, said.