Subcommittee tweaks noise ordinance proposal

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NAUGATUCK — Officials have made minor changes to a proposed noise ordinance that went to a public hearing in December.

The current noise ordinance is one sentence long and states that no one can shout, use a megaphone, or amplifier in a street, public place, or within hearing distance of a church or public meeting. The borough formed a noise ordinance subcommittee last summer to study the viability of the ordinance and possibly recommend changes.

The subcommittee presented a proposal to the Board of Mayor and Burgesses last month. The proposed ordinance, which is nearly four pages long, details what decibel levels noises can be in commercial, industrial, and residential zones, and lays out a method for measuring the noise. The proposal lists daytime hours, which allowed for louder noise, as 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The proposed revised ordinance also gives police the ability to investigate and enforce the ordinance. If a person is found in violation of the ordinance they will receive a $100 fine for first offence and a $250 fine for each subsequent offence, the proposal states.

The board opened a public hearing on the proposal last month. During the hearing, some residents voiced some concerns about the proposed changes not being strict enough.

The subcommittee met last week to take another look at the proposed ordinance and made changes.

Burgess Rocky Vitale, who chairs the subcommittee, said the daytime hours were changed to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The subcommittee will also present better definitions for noise and decibel levels, he said.

The public hearing will continue at the board’s meeting on Tuesday. Once the public hearing closes, the board is expected to vote on whether to approve the proposed changes, Vitale said.

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