Council Will Consider Noise Ordinance Tuesday Night

A ordinance aimed at preventing "offensive" nighttime noise and unruly gatherings is on the agenda for tonight's council meeting. The ordinance aims to beef up the city's enforcement of activities that disturb residents. A city staff report notes that the ordinance has been developed in response to recent work done by the Half Moon Bay Police Department to address these issues.

If the ordinance passes, residents will need to take care to monitor the sound level of their activities and gatherings between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Those who violate it for the first time would be cited with an infraction. If the offense is repeated within 48 hours, it will be considered a misdemeanor. Individuals guilty of hosting unruly gatherings will be fined, which will enable the police department to recover the cost of responding to such incidents.

Other highlights include:

• Memorial and commemorative bench donation from the Farm Day Committee: Memorial benches honoring Vic Tigerman and Dave Iverson will be installed at the Ted Adcock Community Senior Center (Tigerman) and the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Bureau (Iverson). A commemorative bench for James Fox will be placed in front of Half Moon Bay City Hall.

• Amending the sewer permits and fees section of the municipal code, along with repealing the sewer treatment capacity equalization fee

• Adopting a long series of "2011 cleanup amendments" to the municipal code which were first presented by City Attorney Tony Condotti at the March 15 city council meeting. Amendments include: eliminating the Parks and Recreation Commission, eliminating the Historic Preservation Commission, clarifying the City Manager's duties, and amending the code to "maximize" the impact of the city's dollars on purchasing supplies, equipment and services (such as consultants)

For full documentation and staff reports of each agenda item, please click on and view the PDF documents posted in the media box to the right.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. tonight and will take place at the Ted Adcock Community Senior Center at 535 Kelly Ave., Half Moon Bay.

Correction 4/5: A second violation of the proposed noise ordinance in 48 hours will be considered misdemeanor.