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Kent council refers live-music and gas-powered blower complaints to committee after resident plea
Summary
After a resident urged a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, the Kent City Council agreed to refer both neighborhood noise from a downtown venue and the gas-powered blower issue to committee for study; council members discussed enforcement, waiting for the new police chief to participate, and a possible sustainability-focused review.
A resident told the Kent City Council he wants action on gas-powered leaf blowers, and council members agreed to study the issue along with neighborhood complaints about outdoor live music.
Lee Brooker, of 317 Wilson Avenue, told the council the noise from gas-powered blowers is “a true disturbance of the peace” and asked whether regional rebate programs could help residents or landscaping companies replace gas-powered equipment with quieter electric models. “I would like council please to consider enacting or passing an ordinance to ban these things,” he said during public comment.
Council members then discussed a separate but related noise concern: live outdoor music at the Zephr that several residents say carries into nearby yards. A council member reminded residents to call police when noise is occurring and said staff and police have visited the venues; the council also noted the new police chief — who is scheduled to begin July 13 — could help shape enforcement and ordinance review.
Miss Schaefer Bish framed the blower issue as a sustainability and public-health matter, saying it aligns with the city’s sustainability plan and warrants formal study. “It’s in keeping with our sustainability plan,” she said, urging the matter be sent to committee and to the Sustainability Commission for recommendations.
The council moved and seconded a referral to committee instructing Community Development and the Sustainability Commission to study gas-powered blowers, consider timing limits or bans, and return recommendations to council. Members recorded at least one opposition on the voice vote, and the referral was approved for study; no ordinance or immediate ban was enacted.
Next steps: staff was asked to arrange a committee meeting (council discussed July vs. August scheduling to allow the new police chief to participate), invite venue managers and the person who books music at the Zephr to speak, and gather additional resident input. The council did not adopt new enforcement rules at the meeting.
