Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Noise Ordinances topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Amherst advances two noise-code amendments to third reading
Summary
The Amherst City Council voted 4-0 on May 12 to send two ordinances amending the city's noise code'one establishing decibel-based performance standards and one updating the unnecessary/excessive noise provision'to a third reading for further consideration.
The Amherst City Council on May 12 voted 4-0 to send two proposed amendments to the city's noise code to a third reading, advancing measures that would add decibel-based performance standards and update the ordinance on unnecessary or excessive noise.
The two measures were introduced on the council's second reading. Councilmember Janek, who seconded the measure on decibel-based standards, summarized the change as creating a specific, measurable threshold officers could use when responding to neighbor complaints. "We have an ordinance in front of us that, for years, was in place but did not define exactly what measure, noise would be at ... so now this legislation will include a decibel reading that our police will use if there's a complaint relating to noise from a neighbor so that the police can actually go and measure the noise level," Councilmember Janek said.
Under the proposed amendment to Codified Ordinances Section 509.10, police officers would use a decibel reading as the basis for enforcement when noise complaints are received; the transcript does not specify the exact decibel thresholds being proposed. The council moved the decibel-standard ordinance (Item 7a) to a third reading on a motion by Councilmember Heberling and a second by Councilmember Janek; the roll-call vote recorded Councilmembers Dembinski, Mayhorn, Janek and Heberling as voting "yes." The motion carried 4 to 0.
A second ordinance (Item 7b) amending Section 509.11, dealing with unnecessary and excessive noise, was also sent to a third reading. Councilmember Janek moved the measure and Councilmember Dembinski seconded. A roll-call vote recorded Councilmembers Dembinski, Neighbourn, Janek and Heberling voting "yes;" the motion carried 4 to 0.
City officials did not provide the text of the exact decibel thresholds or enforcement protocol during the meeting; the council limited discussion to a brief summary of the changes and then proceeded to roll-call votes. The measures will return for a third reading, at which point the council may consider specific thresholds, enforcement language and any amendments.
The items were considered during the ordinances and resolutions second-reading portion of the agenda. No public comment on the noise ordinances was recorded on the transcript during the meeting.
