Council holds first reading on revised noise ordinance; residents urge stronger enforcement

The Columbus Common Council on Jan. 21 held the first reading of an ordinance to repeal and replace the city’s noise ordinance (Chapter 8.28), prompting public comment from neighbors who described years of recurring loud-music disturbances and asked the city to enforce stronger penalties.

Council members said the ordinance update is the product of the city’s ordinance review working group and city staff work to modernize language, align definitions with Indiana law, and make enforcement more actionable for code enforcement and the Columbus Police Department (CPD). The draft raises fines for repeat offenders to $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for a third offense, and it incorporates state statute language on disorderly conduct to support enforcement. The draft also references Indiana code governing vehicle mufflers.

Steven Bloomer, a resident of 2831 Conestoga Court, described repeated incidents in which loud music from a neighboring property “got so loud that our windows would shake” and said police and code enforcement had been called many times without lasting resolution. “We…