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Commission directs staff to draft nuisance/noise and blight measures for unincorporated areas
Summary
Commissioners instructed staff to research model nuisance and noise-control measures after residents described late-night motocross noise and property maintenance concerns in subdivisions; staff noted recent state legislation in other counties and will draft options for consideration.
Residents and commissioners discussed recurring complaints about noise and property maintenance in unincorporated subdivisions including portions of Rockwood Drive, North Fork and Country Meadows. The commission asked staff to pursue draft ordinances or resolutions to address blight and nighttime noise in platted residential areas.
An area resident, Chris McConnell of 7610 Rockwood Drive, described repeated late-night motocross noise that persisted into early morning hours and said deputies had limited enforcement options. "We don't need a heavily restricted [ordinance], but we do need something probably that kicks in after dark," McConnell told commissioners, urging a practical curfew for noisy activities.
Commission staff noted that some other Kansas counties have pursued legislation to give counties nuisance-abatement authority. Staff referred to a recently enacted bill (referred to in the meeting as Bill 384) that created nuisance-abatement authority in other counties; staff said similar options could be examined for Geary County and that the county's property-maintenance or sanitary codes might cover some conditions already.
Commissioners asked planning and legal staff to research model resolutions and state precedents, consult with the sheriff's office about enforceability and return with draft language that could apply to platted residential subdivisions without imposing overly restrictive homeowner-association–style controls. The commission stressed the need to balance residents' expectations for quiet and property standards against agricultural and permitted uses in rural areas.
