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Newman City Council directs staff to shorten late-night construction hours; landscaping time also adjusted
Summary
Council instructed staff to revise the city noise ordinance to shorten allowable construction hours from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. for specified construction near residences and amended a second provision to set a 9 p.m. end time; council voted to send the revision to city attorney for drafting and return at the next meeting.
Mayor Bridal told the Newman City Council on May 13 that staff should change the city code’s noise provision for construction near residences from a 10 p.m. end time to 8 p.m., and the council voted to send the revision to the city attorney for drafting and return at the next meeting.
The proposal concerns an amendment to the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 10 (Environment), Article 2 (Noise), specifically the highlighted construction provision the mayor said applies where work is contiguous with residential properties.
“I'm suggesting to council that we change the end time on construction from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m.,” Mayor Bridal said during the discussion. After council members debated weekend and seasonal effects on landscaping and mowing, a council member amended the motion to also change the second referenced provision from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. The amended motion passed by voice vote.
Council members and staff clarified the scope of the change during debate: the existing ordinance applies to activity within 1,000 feet of any residential property and does not specify days of the week. Council discussed whether landscaping and routine lawn mowing were covered by the same subsection and confirmed they would examine the highlighted language where the changes apply.
Council directed the city attorney to prepare the ordinance amendment and return it at the next meeting for a formal vote. The motion as amended passed with the mayor calling the question and the council indicating approval by voice.
Councilmembers raised practical concerns about seasonal daylight variations, enforcement, and whether the code should tie time limits to sunset. Staff said the current ordinance does not specify days of the week and that a year-round clock-time revision would be used unless the council asked for a different approach.
Next steps: city staff will draft the ordinance language reflecting the council’s direction (construction end time 8 p.m. for the highlighted construction subsection; the second provision set to 9 p.m.), and return the draft for formal adoption at the next meeting.
