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Ruidoso Downs council adopts ban on engine ('Jake') brakes after public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing that drew residents' complaints about late-night truck deceleration and questions about enforceability, the Ruidoso Downs City Council voted to adopt Ordinance 2024-03 to prohibit engine brakes within city limits.
Ruidoso Downs — The City Council voted Sept. 23 to adopt Ordinance 2024-03, amending the municipal noise code to prohibit the use of engine brakes (commonly called "Jake brakes") within the city limits.
The ordinance was the subject of a public hearing in which residents described repeated late-night noise and sleep disruption from heavy trucks decelerating on local slopes. "I object to the unreasonable noise," said Bonnie Richardson during the hearing, asking the council to avoid overly broad language but to address the late-night disturbances. Sergeant Malone of the Ruidoso Downs Police Department noted a practical enforcement issue: the draft ordinance contained no time-of-day limits for noise complaints and the department lacks a decibel meter needed to measure violations under some standards.
Council discussion focused narrowly on whether to prohibit engine brakes specifically or to widen the ordinance to cover broader "unreasonable noise" provisions with time constraints. Supporters argued engine brakes create loud, reverberating noise in valleys and on hillsides that travel into residential areas. Opponents cautioned about unintended effects on motorcyclists and local events that draw visitors.
A councilor moved to approve the amendment focused on engine/"Jake" brakes; the motion was seconded, a roll-call vote was taken and the presiding official announced the motion carried. The ordinance as adopted bans engine-brake use inside the city; enforcement details and any further amendments to time windows or decibel-based thresholds were discussed as items that could be refined separately.
The council did not adopt additional time-of-day enforcement language at this meeting. Sergeant Malone had recommended adding quiet-hours limits and identified equipment and training needs if the city wishes to enforce decibel-based measures.
The ordinance vote followed months of resident complaints about noise in specific neighborhoods near the highway and valley slopes. The council took the final vote at the Sept. 23 meeting; the city clerk will publish the ordinance language and effective date per municipal procedure.
