Assistant/Chief Ryan Keller presented the police department's recent work on complaints about modified and excessively loud vehicle exhaust. Keller said the department recorded complaints beginning in May 2024, has devoted an estimated 190 hours of directed and undirected patrol time to enforcement (about 7% of the undirected hours) and maintains a recurring list of approximately 15 vehicles frequently reported by residents. "Part of our full time for mufflers has not only been, the officers out there proactively using some of their time... but it's also been to direct some of that time towards a specific request that came in regarding complaint," Keller said.

Keller said the enforcement is ticket-based and escalates with repeated violations: fines increase on repeated stops and can lead to license suspension under the statutory escalation. He clarified that officers "can stop individuals for modified or excessive exhaust sound, we cannot...tell them to change it" (the department lacks authority to order immediate mechanical modification). Council members and the chief discussed enforcement limits: some complaints come from the city's northern neighborhoods and a state route that bisects adjacent jurisdictions, complicating enforcement when vehicles accelerate out of city limits; the valley geography amplifies noise.

Staffing constraints were highlighted: Keller said the department currently has three undeployable FTEs, one officer on long-term leave and one in field training, which reduces undirected enforcement time (the chief estimated undirected time at "about 25% or less," compared with an industry standard around 50%). Councilors proposed nonenforcement measures: signage at key entry points and improved public reporting tools; Keller noted the city has online reporting options and encouraged residents to submit time/place/license information to help directed patrols.

Keller recommended continued community partnership and directed patrols; he said legal change would be needed to grant officers authority to require on-the-spot mechanical changes to vehicles. No legislative change was taken at the meeting; council and staff discussed signage, continued directed patrols in hot spots, and public reporting as near-term steps.