Aldermen advanced a measure Tuesday that would crack down on noisy back-yard parties.
The proposed noise-control ordinance would make it illegal for anyone on private property to play music that is “louder than an average conversational level at a distance of 100 feet or more” between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.
Police called to the scene would make “a common-sense judgment call” in applying the standard, said Ald. Ray Suarez (31st), the measure’s sponsor.
The existing noise pollution ordinance is too difficult to enforce because it requires a sound-measuring device that is fragile, expensive and not carried by police, Suarez said.
Only the city’s Environment Department has the instruments, he said.
“I respect people’s ability to enjoy their property, but they have to be considerate to the neighbors next to them and across the street,” the alderman said. “After a certain hour, you have to tone it down” in consideration of “senior citizens who are sick, babies asleep, people who work in the morning,” he said.
The current ordinance seldom is enforced, Suarez said.
“Sometimes the police go out and issue tickets. When they go to court, a lot of times the judge will say, ‘Do you have evidence of the noise pollution?’ “
The measure, advanced Tuesday by the City Council’s Environment Committee, calls for high fines.
A first offense would mean a $300 ticket. The penalty would rise to $500 for a second violation within a one-year period and to $1,000 for a third.
In other council action
– The Buildings Committee advanced a proposal calling for the $2.15 million sale of a vacant, three-story commercial building at 212 S. State St. to the federal government. The city obtained the property for $1.52 million in 1997 to help spur a commercial development that never materialized, officials said. If the sale is approved, the building will become one of seven acquired by the federal General Services Administration along State Street.
– Suarez said a proposal that he has sponsored to require security cameras in businesses open more than 12 hours a day has received strong support. A hearing on the measure is planned for next month, the alderman said.
