Noise levels
On July 26, the Cibolo City Council approved an amendment to the noise ordinance and reduced the decibel limit. Comparing ordinances NEW ORDINANCE
Cigars, whose customer base is pre- dominantly African American, does not give a good image for the business and hinders growth. District 1 Council Member T.G. Benson addressed the concern by requesting City Council look into reg- ulating complaints harassing local businesses that are in compliance with the ordinance. “We need to nd out what the case is. We need to get to the bottom of it, and if we need to write an ordinance to nd out how to get rid of people who are just anonymously com- plaining about nothing, then let’s do that,” Benson said. “But at the same time, just because you are a com- plainant does not mean that it is not a problem.” Jayme Mathis, co-owner of Kin- dling Kitchen, said the noise ordi- nance issue would not be resolved by lowering the decibels alone, since many of the complaints presented by Hugghins were tied to bass e ects. “The complaint is of windows rat- tling, of vibration, of that feeling in my chest that comes from bass,” Mathis said. “That bass will not be addressed in lowering the decibel points.” Mathis also said he believes the noise ordinance would not have been brought up to the council if the major- ity of complaints were not coming from a couple of individuals. “If something has to be [done], then so be it,” he said. “Even though Old Main [Icehouse], even though 1911 Cigars, even though Ernie’s is doing all of this stu that costs them tens of thousands of dollars behind their establishment to give additional bu ers for those citizens that are complaining.” Resident concerns Cibolo residents attended each meeting and shared their input with businesses during shareholder gath- erings to come to a compromise for reducing city noise. Resident Adam Savoy said, while he has never called the police to com- plain about noise or sound, he is still a ected by music downtown and does not get to bed until 11:20 p.m. on nights with concerts going. “I have never led a complaint about this, but I have su ered having had to listen to noise,” he said. “I have been in front of this council and other councils multiple times, and I shared my concerns. I welcome the attention to the issue.” Savoy said during his time living in Old Town, he has seen neighbors
Outdoor music is limited to Fridays and Saturdays. 75 decibel limit from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. 65 decibel limit from 10 p.m.-10a.m. $50 special music permit allowing 70 decibels from 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the recommended decibel exposure limit is 85 decibels, or about the sound level of city tra c from inside a car. This is the same limit as Cibolo’s former noise ordinance.
OLD ORDINANCE
85 decibel limit from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. 75 decibel limit after 10 p.m. for businesses within 150 feet of a residential district or homes
SOURCE: CITY OF CIBOLO COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Decibel levels
Town that are in buildings that were formerly homes were not held to the sound suppression standards set by the city. “The UDC was not consistently enforced by Cibolo,” Cunningham said. “This is not an issue for busi- nesses, because they decided to just at out not do the stu in the UDC. They were given permission in an inappropriate way to do things that were against what was written in the UDC.” Business concerns Hugghins said the 60 complaints were lodged against ve businesses on Main Street, with the majority being directed at 1911 Cigars, and three of those complaints were found to be in violation of the ordinance. 1911 Cigars opened in 2019 and has a backyard area for patrons to enjoy live music and other entertainment in the evening. Hugghins said 45% of the total complaints came from a single complainant. April Williams, a Cibolo resident and chief nancial o cer of 1911 Cigars, said she and her husband, who is co-owner of 1911 Cigars, feel that the noise ordinance amendment does not protect the rights of business owners. With the majority of the complaints being directed toward 1911 Cigars, Wil- liams said she believes the complaints are not strictly related to noise. “Close to half of all complaints identi ed were from one person, and for the majority of those instances, 1911 Cigars was in compliance,” she said. “Many others were unfounded situations where either we were not playing music or we were closed.” Being a veteran- and African Amer- ican-owned business, Williams said having the police show up at 1911
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Normal breathing
10
The Cibolo City Council had taken up the noise issue in earnest begin- ning in December and asked a com- mittee of Old Town Cibolo residents and businesses to work together on a compromise for the council to consider. Police Chief Bryan Hugghins on April 12 presented 60 noise com- plaints that had been made anony- mously throughout 2021 to the City Council and were used during the amendment process. Hugghins said enforcement of the ordinance was not the issue and that the noise ordinance would need to be updated for the Cibolo Police Depart- ment to enforce further regulations on businesses. Under the ordinance, rst o ense nes are not to exceed $100, and the ne caps at $500 for the fourth and subsequent o enses. According to Hugghins, with most of the complaints not exceeding 85 decibels under the old ordinance, police could not ne business owners since owners were not violating the ordinance. “This department does enforce what we have right now,” Hugghins said. “We still hear concerns that the noise level is too loud, which is why this whole process got started. We want an instrument, a tool, a resource for our o cers that allows them to enforce the ordinance accordingly.” District 4 Council Member Katie Cunningham said the noise issues extend further than the ordinance, and the city will need to revisit the Uni ed Development Code to address the root of the Main Street problem. According to Cunningham, the UDC requires a concrete barrier for noise suppression, but businesses in Old
Ticking watch
20
Soft whisper
30
Refrigerator hum
40
Normal conversation/air conditioner
60
Washing machine/dishwasher
70
Cibolo’s new ordinance limit
75
City tra c (inside car)
80
Cibolo’s old ordinance limit/NIOSH recommended exposure limit
85
Motorcycle
95
Approaching subway train/car horn from 16 feet/sporting events
100
Loud radio/loud entertainment venues
105
Shouting or barking in ear
110
Standing beside or near sirens
120
SOURCES: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH, CITY OF CIBOLO COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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