Resident urges Hermiston council to enforce noise rules after repeated late‑night car activity

HERMISTON, Ore. — At the start of the Aug. 25 council meeting, resident Al Frost raised quality‑of‑life concerns about late‑night vehicle noise and street activity in Hermiston.

Frost said he has lived in Hermiston since 1942, has served on city committees and returns part‑time from Arizona. He told the council he had visited the police chief multiple times and discussed the issue with lieutenants and sergeants without satisfactory results. “I went to see the chief of police about 7 times… basically about noise ordinances and stuff like that,” Frost said. He described nightly groups of “kids running around in their hopped up cars” and said Fourth Street, signed at 25 mph, “is a racetrack.”

Council response
- The council president acknowledged the comment and reminded attendees that public comment is not a question‑and‑answer session, but councilors and staff noted the complaint and directed Frost to follow up with the police chief at a convenient time.

Context
- Frost said he believes most residents are law‑abiding and that about 3% of people are causing the problem; he asked that the city act to prevent the community from changing for the worse. No formal council action was taken at the meeting on this topic; it was recorded as public comment.

Next steps
- The council did not schedule a formal agenda item on enforcement at this meeting. Frost asked to speak further with the police chief; council staff indicated follow‑up would be possible at the chief’s convenience.