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Business owner urges trustees to revise proposed noise ordinance, saying draft would "stifle" local music
Summary
At the June 8 Mesilla Board of Trustees meeting, Morgan Schweitzer of New Mexico Vintage urged trustees to reconsider draft noise rules, saying the proposal is more restrictive than county rules and appears targeted at her downtown business. Trustees agreed to post drafts for public review ahead of a June 22 hearing.
Morgan Schweitzer, owner of New Mexico Vintage, told the Mesilla Board of Trustees on June 8 that the first draft of a proposed noise ordinance would be "egregious" and could unduly burden businesses near the plaza.
Schweitzer said the draft language discussed by staff was stricter than county standards the town has followed for years and warned the proposed limits could be applied in ways that single out her business because of a nearby residence. "They're very targeted to stifle our business specifically," she said, asking trustees to "keep the businesses in mind" while finalizing the ordinance.
The board and staff described the draft as an effort to provide clearer, enforceable rules for both commercial and residential areas. Staff said they had worked internally with the marshal, economic development and the town clerk to align the draft with county and city examples and to add measurement standards. Chair (the meeting lead) told trustees the draft language would be posted online by Wednesday and that a public hearing is scheduled for June 22.
Trustees discussed technical details the draft will include, such as where decibel readings are taken (for example, from the nearest residential line or from a specified setback), how meters will be used, and exemptions for town-run events. Several trustees stressed the town must balance protection of residents with support for businesses in the historic commercial zone, which staff said is intended to be "business-first, residential-second."
Staff asked trustees to provide comments by the end of the board’s scheduled internal deadline so those changes could be incorporated before the public posting. The board did not adopt the ordinance on June 8; the item remains scheduled for public hearing on June 22 with drafts to be posted to the town website ahead of that meeting.
The board invited written comments and said staff will email the draft to businesses and post the materials on the town website to give affected stakeholders time to review and respond.
Next steps: drafts posted online for public review; public hearing on the proposed ordinance scheduled for June 22.
