Council approves purchase to take permanent ownership of two noise trailers after debate on enforcement

The City Council approved a $15,234.39 contract to purchase hardware and licenses so the city can take permanent ownership of two noise-monitoring trailers used to detect and document excessive vehicle noise.

City Manager Kennedy said the equipment had been fielded to the city on a trial basis and the administration recommends buying and licensing the systems now that the technology has matured. “This was inevitable at some point in the process…we are now being asked to either invest or not,” Kennedy said.

Chief Ryan Duffy told the council the hardware and software improvements will make the trailers more deployable and speed the citation process. He said batteries on one older trailer did not hold charge sufficiently for mobile deployments; the purchase will address that and support a new dashboard that streamlines evidence processing. Chief Duffy said in a recent two‑week period after upgrades the city issued 11 violations and that the number of documented violations across the last several weeks was in the “30 range,” describing a meaningful increase since the cameras were upgraded.

Councilors pressed for data. One asked for cumulative citation totals since the program began; Kennedy and Duffy said they would provide a full accounting to the council at a subsequent meeting. Council members also discussed signage, where to deploy trailers and how to avoid unintentionally encouraging louder driving near posted warnings. Several councilors said the trailers remain a useful but partial tool and that more trailers and continued rotation among hot spots are needed.

The council approved the purchase; staff said the city aims to use citation revenue to expand the program over time.