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Commission working on noise ordinance
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By Kris Hilgedick
khil@newstribune.com No action planned targeting gun club
The Cole County Commission isn't planning to regulate noise generated by a gun club off Henwick Lane, but the topic did come up as the body struggled to craft language banning loud music and fireworks.
The commission hopes to place some night time limits on fireworks, without banning them outright.
Ideally, the proposed ordinance would allow fireworks to be ignited from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day of the year, with the exception of the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve, when the time would be extended to 1 a.m.
However the group struggled to find the exact wording that would convey that idea without confusion. They decided to table the issue so legal counsel Jamie Gallaher could continue to craft the ordinance.
As part of the discussion, Western District Commissioner Chris Wrigley said he has taken phone calls from neighbors near the gun club who are bothered by the sound of firearms. Wrigley, who lives within hearing distance of the range, said the firing generally starts at 6 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on Sundays.
Wrigley reported the neighbors who contacted him - he did not identify them - “made the point that if you're going to regulate noise from firearms and stereos, then you need to regulate the gun club.”
Later in Monday's conversation, Wrigley said he's not interested in doing that. But he did say United Sportsmen Gun Club members “may want to voluntarily self-police or regulate” themselves by limiting early morning shooting.
Presiding Commissioner Marc Ellinger challenged Wrigley's thinking. Ellinger said he believes noise shouldn't regulated merely by being audible, but that it should be waking people up for local government to act.
“Is it waking you up? Or is it just (disturbing you) while you drink your morning coffee?” Ellinger questioned Wrigley. “The whole point of the noise ordinance is someone is trying to get a baby to go to sleep. That's the issue.”
Wrigley said the evening shooting isn't bothering neighbors, but the early morning shooting is.
“They have a 9mm automatic and they want to run off a clip,” he said.
Wrigley said complaints from the neighborhood are “becoming a growing issue.” But he added: “I don't want to regulate them.”
In other business Wednesday, the commission:
* Tabled a decision to grant a contract for two single-axle dump trucks. The commission received two bids: one from Al Scheppers Motor Company and one from Columbia Freightliner Sterling Sales. Scheppers was the lower bid for a manual transmission truck.
* Decided against increasing salaries for two employees in the Assessor's Office. The $2,000 per-employee requests for salary increases were made because the employees received residential appraisal licenses. However, Ellinger said he'd prefer to follow salary recommendations established in a 2005 study.
* Decided to install two $265 doggie waste-disposal stations in County Park. The stops would provide plastic bags and a place for owners to dispose of waste.
The commission hopes to place some night time limits on fireworks, without banning them outright.
Ideally, the proposed ordinance would allow fireworks to be ignited from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day of the year, with the exception of the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve, when the time would be extended to 1 a.m.
However the group struggled to find the exact wording that would convey that idea without confusion. They decided to table the issue so legal counsel Jamie Gallaher could continue to craft the ordinance.
As part of the discussion, Western District Commissioner Chris Wrigley said he has taken phone calls from neighbors near the gun club who are bothered by the sound of firearms. Wrigley, who lives within hearing distance of the range, said the firing generally starts at 6 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on Sundays.
Wrigley reported the neighbors who contacted him - he did not identify them - “made the point that if you're going to regulate noise from firearms and stereos, then you need to regulate the gun club.”
Later in Monday's conversation, Wrigley said he's not interested in doing that. But he did say United Sportsmen Gun Club members “may want to voluntarily self-police or regulate” themselves by limiting early morning shooting.
Presiding Commissioner Marc Ellinger challenged Wrigley's thinking. Ellinger said he believes noise shouldn't regulated merely by being audible, but that it should be waking people up for local government to act.
“Is it waking you up? Or is it just (disturbing you) while you drink your morning coffee?” Ellinger questioned Wrigley. “The whole point of the noise ordinance is someone is trying to get a baby to go to sleep. That's the issue.”
Wrigley said the evening shooting isn't bothering neighbors, but the early morning shooting is.
“They have a 9mm automatic and they want to run off a clip,” he said.
Wrigley said complaints from the neighborhood are “becoming a growing issue.” But he added: “I don't want to regulate them.”
In other business Wednesday, the commission:
* Tabled a decision to grant a contract for two single-axle dump trucks. The commission received two bids: one from Al Scheppers Motor Company and one from Columbia Freightliner Sterling Sales. Scheppers was the lower bid for a manual transmission truck.
* Decided against increasing salaries for two employees in the Assessor's Office. The $2,000 per-employee requests for salary increases were made because the employees received residential appraisal licenses. However, Ellinger said he'd prefer to follow salary recommendations established in a 2005 study.
* Decided to install two $265 doggie waste-disposal stations in County Park. The stops would provide plastic bags and a place for owners to dispose of waste.
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JCNewscrasher wrote on Jun 19, 2008 7:41 PM: