Residents and business owners clash over proposed Mesilla noise ordinance at packed public hearing

Mesilla trustees heard more than an hour of public testimony on June 22 over a proposed noise and nuisance ordinance that would add decibel-based limits and a Plaza Entertainment Overlay for the historic commercial district.

Residents who live adjacent to the plaza told the board the draft ordinance as written leaves them exposed to late-night amplified outdoor music. "The town of Mesilla is failing us," said Melissa Molina, whose family home sits next to New Mexico Vintage Wines. Molina said amplified music continues past 10 p.m. and that "our multigenerational family home cannot be sacrificed for a commercial patio that continually uses loud outdoor amplified music."

Business owners and employees countered that the draft contains conflicting definitions and exemptions that could harm local businesses. "This document is Swiss cheese," said Oregon Schweitzer, a property owner and commercial businesses operator, arguing the ordinance borrowed mismatched provisions from multiple municipalities and left loopholes that would create legal risk. Tiffany Hackard, an employee at Inman Vintage Wines, warned trustees that unclear rules could cause closures and lost jobs.

Staff presented the technical approach that underlies the draft: decibel readings taken with a calibrated meter at a 100-foot measurement point tied to zone boundaries rather than property lines, daytime and nighttime thresholds borrowed from nearby jurisdictions, and an overlay that recognizes the plaza as a center for amplified entertainment while attempting to balance adjacent residential uses. Eddie Salazar, the town's community and economic development staffer, said the meter and zone approach is intended to provide an objective tool for enforcement but acknowledged numerous implementation details remain unresolved.

Trustees and enforcement staff pressed practical questions about who would carry certified meters, the cost and calibration requirements for equipment, whether marshals or code officers would carry out readings, and how longstanding local features ' from church bells to agricultural operations and roosters ' would be treated. Several trustees said the town must tailor rules to Mesilla's unique mix of historic commercial areas and adjacent residences rather than copy another municipality's code verbatim.

Rather than approving the ordinance, the board added conditions and directed staff to convene work sessions to refine definitions, measurement methodology, exemptions and enforcement protocols. The board emphasized clarifying whether certain community events or religious services would be treated as exemptions and asked staff to consult with marshals on enforcement logistics. The review will include additional public engagement and technical follow-up before any adoption vote.

The hearing generated repeated requests that the town enforce existing compatibility standards in the code and explicitly review how prior permits allowed outdoor amplification near residences. Trustees said staff would review written submissions already filed and return with revised language and a proposed schedule for work sessions.

The matter remains under discussion; trustees did not adopt the noise ordinance at the June 22 meeting and signaled that more detailed drafting and public workshops will follow.