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Board directs more noise testing and research on on-site power generation; ordinance work to continue
Summary
Supervisors directed staff to fund additional noise testing and technical analysis and separately asked county executive to research planning and legal options for on-site power generation (microgrids, gas turbines, backup generation) ahead of possible ordinance changes.
The Board of County Supervisors directed staff to identify $35,000 in FY2025 funding to support additional noise testing and technical analysis tied to a draft noise ordinance, and separately approved a directive to study local legal and planning authority regarding microgrids and on-site power generation.
Supervisor said the additional testing will extend work already underway. Wade Hu, deputy county executive, described testing done around facilities and during a scheduled outage at a data center site where diesel/generator operations provided a chance to gather sound files. "We did some field testing today... they were running the generators for about 3 hours, and we wanted to go out and get some readings there," Hu said. Staff said they are working with Rutgers University and a consultant with experience on dB(C) and octave-based enforcement training for police.
Board members asked for clarifications on types of measurements and enforcement. Supervisors asked whether tests would include construction noise, blasting, and typical subdivision activity. Hu said staff had already sampled construction-related sounds and planned targeted tests near schools, hospitals and other sensitive receptors.
Separately, Supervisor Bodie introduced a directive asking the county executive to research planning best practices and legal authority on microgrids and on-site backup generation, including gas-turbine generator plants mounted near industrial users. "We're starting to see that large scale industrial applicants are beginning to look at creative ways to provide power to their facilities... right now there's not a lot of good playbook around how we handle something like that," Bodie said. The county attorney will review legal questions and staff will report back with timelines and fiscal impacts.
Ending: The board approved both actions. Staff said they will return with a list of proposed testing locations, measurement approaches, anticipated costs and a timeline for a larger ordinance proposal. The county executive's office will report research and recommendations on on-site generation and related land-use policy for board consideration and for the 2026 legislative agenda if needed.
