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Franklin Council approves Rock events with independent acoustics monitoring and new conditions
Summary
After weeks of neighborhood complaints about noise and profanity, the council granted permits for Country Rising and Taco & Tequila, imposing independent acoustical monitoring paid by the venue, two pre-event sound checks and contractual performance limits for artists.
The Franklin Common Council on March 17 approved special-event permits for Rock Ventures’ Country Rising and Taco & Tequila festivals after the venue agreed to a package of mitigation measures and independent monitoring.
Developer Michael Zimmerman told the council he had contracted JPM Acoustics to produce a noise study and agreed to pay for an independent third-party acoustician to perform pre-event calibration, real‑time in-event monitoring and post-event reporting. The Rock also offered resident accommodations and pledged to add long-term landscape buffering as part of broader mitigation work.
The council’s approval required the Rock to hold two separate sound checks—one for each event day—during which the third‑party acoustician would establish and calibrate operating settings. Zimmerman said the venue would install locked system limiters and work with production staff on speaker placement, subwoofer control and stage configuration to reduce bass transmission to nearby neighborhoods. He also proposed contractual language asking headline performers to limit explicit language (a PG‑13 standard was discussed).
Council members emphasized enforceability. Alderwoman Day asked that limiters be locked so that no one could manually override them; Zimmerman agreed, and the memorandum of supplemental conditions adopted by the council includes that requirement. The Rock also agreed to fund 10 resident mitigation vouchers—short stays at nearby partner properties—for families who wish temporary shelter during events and to continue exploring longer-term sound‑buffering measures such as tree plantings.
Public comment was divided: many residents from neighborhoods surrounding the Rock urged the council to deny permits until the JPM report and a comprehensive mitigation plan were available, citing repeated instances of profanity and high sound levels at past events. Local hotel and business owners told the council the events drive tourism and support local commerce. Zimmerman said his team has been adjusting operations over the last several years and described the most recent festival (2025 Taco & Tequila) as a major improvement compared with earlier years, while acknowledging there were some exceedances and promising stronger controls.
The roll call vote approving the supplemental event conditions memorandum was: Peekarelli — yes; Ikeman — yes; Assan — yes; Day — yes; Saloo — yes; Craig — no. The memorandum requires the independent sound check(s), locked system limiters, third‑party monitoring paid by the Rock, artist performance standards, resident mitigation vouchers, and that landscape buffering remain part of long‑term mitigation planning.
The council placed the JPM executive summary on file and directed staff to ensure the full acoustics report and all monitoring documentation are available to council members and the public. Zimmerman said he will provide additional documentation and help finance whatever independent monitoring the city directs.
