By Ashley Hungerford
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
MARIETTA - The Marietta City Council meeting on Monday was relatively quick as most items were approved on the consent agenda or withdrawn until a future meeting.
The council took action to make the streets of Marietta a little quieter, telling drivers to turn down their car stereos.
The city council unanimously approved amending the city's noise ordinance concerning the volume of car stereos during certain hours.
After a deluge of complaints, the Marietta Police Department recently began stricter enforcement to curtail loud music blasting from car stereos, Chief Dan Flynn said. The first offense carries a $135 fine.
"It's a noise issue," he said.
According to the new ordinance, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., music from cars cannot be audibly heard from 50 feet away. From 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., the distance shrinks to 25 feet.
The council discussed acquiring property through eminent domain during its executive session for about 20 minutes at the end of the meeting.
Afterward, in a vote of 5-2, the council approved acquiring 8,090 square feet of property at 300 Tower Road from Tower Partners LLC through eminent domain. Council members Anthony Coleman and Van Pearlberg dissented.
Councilman Philip Goldstein said the acquisition is part of a road project along Tower Road.
The council also approved an agreement with the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, which the Marietta Board of Lights and Water is a member of, to use $9.6 million from the Municipal Competitive Trust fund to fund capital expansions.
Councilman Jim King said the city took out bonds to place money in the trust in the 1970s. Over the next 10 years, the BLW is expected to receive between $90 million to $100 million from the trust. The BLW can use the funds for capital projects or for investing in future technology.
An accompanying motion to the agreement that would designate two individuals or city positions to sign the resolution each year stating the city council's desires was held to the December meeting because the council could not reach an agreement as to what those positions should be.
Several recommendations were proposed including the chairman of the BLW, city manager and city council liaison to the BLW.
"I don't want elected officials dealing directly with the money," Goldstein said, who proposed the city manager and finance director.
In other action:
- Mayor Bill Dunaway withdrew the fiscal year 2009 Fund Work Plan for the Marietta Redevelopment Corporation until the council's December meeting.
- The council approved an amendment to the Campbell Hill Street closure agreement that would add a median at the intersection of Church Street and Margaret Avenue. In the amendment, Wellstar agrees to pay the city $27,645.55 for the construction of the median, decorative crosswalks at the intersection and other improvements at the intersection.
- The council acquired several properties through means of eminent domain including 324 S. Fairground St. owned by Frank Holcombe; 72 Atlanta St., owned by William D. Young and Earl Young; and 107 Waverly Way, owned by Margaret Hulme Anderson and the Citizens and Southern National Bank as executors of the estate of John D. Anderson.
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Posted Comments
25 to 50 feet! Why should any of us be required to listen to someone else's noise from any distance? The other day I was at the post office and some woman in the line was talking so loud on her cel phone that I finally turned around and told her "look, if you're going to talk so loud, why can't you at least say something worth hearing?" She got the message. I got applause.
are leaf blowers next?
I am glad to hear of the new ordinance for car stereos, however, 25 to 50 feet is to lenient. When your ear drums vibrate because someone in the next car insists on listening to loud music, then it becomes a health hazard. As long as the ordinance is strictly enforced hopefully it will help.
let someone take their house or property by eminent domain and see how they like it
First to Kimo, with all due respect: mind your business. You don't contribute to her lifestyle in anyway so who are you to make commands in her space. Second, seems like everyone is after a dollar by any means necessary. But here's what the city council failed to realize. Now that these officers have the power to stop vehicle's for loud music, they can now make false accusations (its bad enough that we have the right to say NO to officers but when we due- we're arrested and its called Obstruction), they can perform illegal searches, and make false arrest in which will scar a hard workers resume and will leave him jobless- transitioning the crime from loud music to the extreme's of only the strong survive mentality. Listen, instead of picking on the little guys, Why don't you make this a law for the manufacturing company, the distributor's? The power of a dollar and the value of a man, its not justice- its not a service- its harassment. Let people live already-we have had enough of the government lying and selfishly spending our dollars. Now our city council wants to join the list of leaders who fail to lead but take advantage- just follow George Bush.
The main point of my response- this ordinance is too subjective. How loud is loud? Who determines what loud actually is? Are the enforcers going to ride around with a sound measuring device to see how many dba's were actually captured? Who's financing the devices? Sounds to me this wasn't a very well thought ordinance and it seems to appear to be a very blatant way to stereotype.
my man obama will make deez dum laws go away...my's muzic is def yo...i's can plays it az loud as i's wants cuz my boy prex obama gonna makes all da laws for my people
For Emo: Let's get something straight, shall we? When some idiot is standing in line behind me, less than 1 foot away, and yelling into a telephone so loud that it hurts my ears, it IS my business! When did people loose their sense of propriety and courtesy toward others? I venture to sugggest it was just about the same time that you did.
Emo: I've got a news flash for you. The so-called "lifestyle" of rude and inconsiderate individuals ends...right where mine begins! No one, I repeat no one, has the right to pollute the peace and quiet via their noise...especially in public.
"Noise ordinance"? Just wait till the boys in blue try and enforce that one!!!!! Blacks and Latinos alike will be hollering so loud they'll be heard in downtown Atlanta!! Then the NAACP and R. Pelligrino will go to court against the City of Marietta for oppressing their way of life.