LANSING - The Lansing City Council will hold public hearings on proposed changes to its drunken driving and minor in possession ordinances Monday.

The changes would increase penalties for each of the offenses, bringing them in line with new state laws.

“Basically, we’re doing this because the state law, which has been changed within the last year or so, made some changes to the penalties,” said Councilmember Joan Bauer, chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee. “Instead of having to decide (whether to) do this under the state or local jurisdiction, (police) can then process these through our own city which makes it a more efficient use of our time.”

Bauer said the ordinances have always been the same as state laws, it has just taken the council longer to change them this time.

The changes to the drunken driving ordinance would affect minors driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of .02 or more, operating a commercial vehicle with a blood alcohol level of .04 and violating a drunken driving law with someone under 16 in the car.

These would all become misdemeanors, require the court to impose a five-day minimum jail sentence or 30 days of community service, order the vehicle immobilized or forfeited and order screening assessment and rehabilitation services for second offenses.

Changes to the minor in possession ordinance include fining a minor convicted of an offense $100 or less for their first offense, $200 for a second offense and $300 for a third offense.

The changes would also allow for the court to order a convicted minor to participate in substance abuse prevention and perform community service and order the secretary of state to suspend the license of convicted minors.

Bauer said most municipalities are also in the process of changing their ordinances to concur with state code, and with the number of college students in the area, this is beneficial for everyone.

“It makes sense if all our ordinances are aligned with the state one, so it’s very clear to everybody involved what the penalties are,” she said.

The city of East Lansing has already done this, said East Lansing police Capt. Juli Liebler.

“My understanding is that (East Lansing ordinances) mirror the state code,” she said. “That’s what they cite the violation under is the state code.”

Jason Almerigi, a psychology graduate student who lives in Lansing, said while he didn’t really care if the ordinance was changed or not, he didn’t think stiffer penalties were really necessary for MIP laws.

“I think the age limits are arbitrary in terms of having 21 as the legal drinking age,” he said.

The public hearings will be held Monday at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers on the 10th floor of Lansing City Hall.