Committee approves substituted ordinance amending MCKC 8.021 after debate on noise rules and activity permits

The Kenosha County Judiciary and Law Committee voted July 1 to adopt a substituted ordinance amending MCKC 8.021, the county’s cabaret-license rules, after a discussion over where noise standards should be codified for large events.

Committee members debated whether noise limits should remain in the cabaret ordinance or be placed in conditional use permits or activity-control licenses used for large gatherings. A Committee member argued that an event such as Country Thunder would use an activity control license, not a cabaret license, and said, "If I'm let's say I'm country thunder, I don't need a cabaret license now. I get an activity license. I get an Initial. Initial use for permit. And it doesn't say anything about these noise decibels in the cabaret license section of the law." The committee discussed how conditional use permits frequently carry site-specific noise conditions and that those permits may take precedence for particular properties.

A Staff member clarified the distinction between permit types and the threshold for activity-control licensing, saying the activity control license is intended "for 5,000 people or more," and that conditional use permits typically spell out site-specific conditions such as allowable noise at the property line. Members pressed for clarity about whether decibel limits should be placed in the zoning language (Chapter 12) or remain in the cabaret section; one member suggested moving regulatory noise language to the conditional-use section to avoid duplicative or misplaced rules.

The substitute red-line draft was offered from the floor and taken up for debate; after discussion the Chair called a voice vote and declared the motion passed. The ordinance was advanced to be read as required; members noted two readings are sometimes used to slow the process but the committee was moving quickly to accommodate Country Thunder’s scheduling.

The ordinance text was described in the meeting as "an ordinance to amend MCKC 8.021 relating to cabaret licenses"; the substitute version was accepted by the committee. The ordinance number and formal ordinance citation were not specified on the record. No formal amendments to the substitute were recorded during the meeting.

What’s next: committee members noted the item may require additional readings and that any changes to Chapter 12 (zoning) would require outreach to municipalities and a multi-jurisdictional approval process before county zoning language could be changed.