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Council weighs decibel meters and ordinance tweaks after neighborhood noise complaints
Summary
Council members discussed purchasing inexpensive decibel readers for patrol cars and tightening nuisance language in the borough's ordinance; members noted certification and calibration can be costly (cited $500 per person) and asked staff to return with draft language for the next meeting.
Council members reviewed follow-up to a resident's complaint about loud music and explored options to improve enforcement, including buying decibel meters to put in patrol cars and revising nuisance ordinance language to quantify enforcement thresholds.
A staff member explained the certification issue for enforcement-grade readings: "It's $500 per person for the class," and the group noted that court admissibility depends on proper calibration and a certified operator. Several council members said inexpensive meters could be used initially to get voluntary compliance (ask parties to reduce volume), with certified officers pursuing formal enforcement when repeat violations occur. The mayor directed staff to draft ordinance language and return with recommended changes at the next meeting.
Why it matters: residents said noise has affected multiple neighborhoods; council members emphasized the need for evidence that will hold up in court if citations are issued. The discussion covered logistics (placing meters in patrol cars), training needs, potential costs to come from the police budget and the need to quantify night-time decibel thresholds consistent with the municipal model noise ordinance.
