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Public commenter tells council he faces repeated noise citations and alleges neighbor harassment
Summary
Jeff Whitley addressed the council in public comment alleging repeated citations, fines and an arrest tied to an air compressor and noise complaints he says are harassment by a neighbor, and he urged the council to address the issue and perceived unfair enforcement.
During the public-comment portion of the meeting, Jeff Whitley identified himself and told the council he has been repeatedly cited, fined and at one point arrested over noise complaints he attributes to harassment by a neighbor.
Whitley said the city’s noise ordinance as written still allows neighbors to call police and that enforcement has been inconsistent. "I have received thousands of dollars of noise complaints, ordinance violations that I am now dealing with," Whitley said. He described police visits to his home, cited an incident at about 2 a.m. when he said officers arrested him for a radio in his yard, and said enforcement outcomes depend on which officers respond.
Whitley told council members he and his children "live in fear" and that the ordinance language allows neighbors to repeatedly report ordinary household activities such as yard work. He asked the council to address what he called ongoing harassment and inconsistent enforcement.
Council members did not provide a public response to Whitley’s allegations during his three-minute comment; the chair proceeded to take any other public comments and then moved to adjourn. The council did not take formal action on the noise ordinance at this meeting.
