Commission reviews draft noise ordinance with daytime/nighttime limits and exemptions

Commissioner Leon Ward presented a sample noise ordinance using the City of Burlington and the Village of Manchester as frameworks, describing daytime and nighttime decibel limits measured at property lines, an escalating fee and penalty structure for repeated offenses, and a list of exceptions including emergency vehicles, police, fire and rescue, municipal or utility maintenance, snow removal, permitted town events such as Street Fest, schools, religious or charitable events, emergency repairs, refuse and recycling collection, and normal operations of approved recreational facilities. The minutes do not record numerical dB thresholds.

Commissioner Mark Shoener asked whether the ordinance should be tailored specifically to short-term rentals (Airbnb-style properties). Commissioner Ward said he preferred a townwide approach so any source of excessive noise could be enforced. An audience member asked who would determine the specific fine within the draft's bracketed ranges described as "a few hundred dollars;" Ward said the issuing office would set a fee within that bracket. Because this was a special meeting (the agenda was posted the day before), the Commission did not take any formal votes on the draft ordinance.