Noise reg excludes chimes

"A proposed ordinance dealing with noise regulation has left untouched the chimes at Port Orchard City Hall.Earlier this month, City Councilman Rick Wyatt said he was in favor of limiting the chimes' hours of operation to the business hours kept by City Hall, which are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. But a new draft of the proposed ordinance exempts the chimes and lets them operate under their current hours. From May 2 until Labor Day, the chimes may operate from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. during weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, the ordinance says. From Labor Day to May 1, the chimes are limited to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. The ordinance exempts the chimes from any limits during holiday seasons, which are left undefined.It's pretty obvious I didn't have enough support, Wyatt said, but I still feel the chimes should be limited to the same hours as City Hall. The chimes have been controversial since they were installed, and last year were shut down temporarily when the council tried to figure out whether they violated the city's noise ordinance. On Sept. 25 of last year, the council voted unanimously to stop the chimes and went into an unexpected closed session with city attorney Loren Combs.Following the move, the council's three-person Public Safety Committee, which includes Wyatt, began an attempt to draft a new ordinance. Among the initial solutions pursued by the committee was setting maximum decibel levels. But Committee Chairman Tom Stansbery said at the time that that route might prove too costly.The proposed noise ordinance is on the council's agenda for its Monday meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.I haven't given up, Wyatt said. We'll just see what happens Monday night. "

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