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Councilmember Shook calls for repeal of the noise ordinance
H U NT ER H I L L R ES IGN S F OR GOVERN OR R UN , S PEC I AL EL EC TI ON SET
Hunter Hill has resigned from his State Senate District 6 seat to continue his campaign for Georgia governor. Hill had represented District 6, which includes large sections of Buckhead and Sandy Springs, since 2012. He frequently cites transportation, education and healthcare as his top issues. A special election will be held to fill his seat for the rest of his term, which was to end in 2018. The election will be held Nov. 7, 2017, the same day as many other city elections. Candidate qualifying for District 6 was set to end Sept. 13, but was postponed due to inclement weather caused by Hurricane Irma. The qualifying period will now end Sept. 15 at 1 p.m.
BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
SPECIAL
Hunter Hill resigned from his State Senate District 6 seat to focus on his run for Georgia governor.
S TAT E LI F TS DROUGH T RESTRICTIO NS F OR F ULTON
The state has lifted water-use restrictions put in place 10 months ago due to drought conditions. Fulton was among many counties that were under “Level 2” restrictions that were lifted Sept. 7. The water-use restrictions had included a ban on non-commercial carwashing and limiting lawn-watering to two days a week. Fulton is still under a “Level 1” drought condition, but that has no restrictions on private water use. It only requires that public water system authorities inform the public about the need to conserve water, according to the state Environmental Protection Division. The EPD notes in a press release that, whether there is a drought or not, state law bans lawn-watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. That is to prevent overuse of water that evaporates quickly in the daytime.
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Howard Shook, a city councilmember representing Buckhead’s District 7, introduced legislation Sept. 5 to repeal the noise ordinance, but acknowledged in the press release that the move was meant to get the attention of city officials. “It was meant to let people know not everyone ignores this issue, “ Shook said in an interview. The noise ordinance is unenforced in most cases, especially regarding an unnamed Buckhead bar that has drawn numerous noise complaints, but has not received a citation, he said. “The [noise ordinance] raises false expectations and it is a fraud on the public,” Shook said. Shook said he introduced legislation after becoming frustrated with the lack of enforcement of the noise ordinance and failed attempts at fixing it. The legislation says that the noise ordinance “falsely suggests that the City of Atlanta cares about its citizen’s right to the quiet enjoyment of their property during nighttime and early morning hours” and “has all the effectiveness of mammary glands on a fish.” The legislation to repeal the ordinance also says that sound meters owned by the city “are to be deemed surplus property and sold as doorstops.” The legislation comes after a group formed in Buckhead to combat what they say is unreasonable motorcycle noise on Peachtree Road. The group held its first meeting Sept. 7 to sign a petition and discuss its next moves. The city code requires noise stays under certain decibel levels, but part of the problem, residents say, is the motorcycles are gone before police can come to the area to measure the noise. Residents complain motorcycles rev the engines, speed, and have altered them to create amplified noise. Jaci Johnson, who lives in the Buckhead Forest neighborhood, is helping lead the group and hopes to get the noise ordinance enforced or changed if it is unenforceable. Johnson said about 10 people came to the meeting, which she said was a disappointing turnout. However, they are distributing a petition to send to city councilmembers and Zone 2 of the Atlanta Police Department. They will also speak at the Sept. 18 city council meeting and they hope to present audio of what they say is unreasonable motorcycle noise. Johnson said they hope to receive at least 100 signatures. The petition calls for more consistent enforcement of the noise ordinance. Johnson said her group is happy to have Shook’s support to fix the noise ordinance, and would provide community support if he contacted them. So far, their emails to him have gone unanswered, she said. “We appreciate his action, and if he wants support I would think he would reach out to the community,” Johnson said. Johnson acknowledged problems with noise and the ordinance are not new, and wonders why the city has not been more motivated to enforce it. “I know it has a history here. It’s an ongoing problem and it hasn’t been addressed, maybe because the funding or the will isn’t there,” she said. Motorcycles are tricky, Shook said, because they produce a loud noise, but are still legal unless it can be proven they are altered to be louder. “It’s not illegal to ride a motorcycle. Unless you can prove they are intentionally doing it, you aren’t going to win a case in court,” Shook said. “There are no enforceable laws to use.” Still, Shook hopes to find a solution to this ongoing problem and overall problems with a lack of enforcement of the noise ordinance, he said. “We need to truly fix it and enforce it,” he said.
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