mobanmarketFAIRFIELD, CT — After years of starts and stops, Fairfield has an updated noise ordinance, after the Representative Town Meeting overwhelmingly voted in favor of the new local law Monday night.
The bipartisan vote to approve the new ordinance was 27 in favor, nine against and one abstention.
Prior to the vote, RTM member Jill Vergara made several amendments to the proposal, after receiving feedback over the last several weeks from the public, the police department, Police Commission and others.
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Of the 67 emails sent to RTM members about the issue, 65 percent were in favor of the new ordinance, according to Vergara, who spearheaded the drive to get the ordinance passed.
The new noise ordinance, as amended Monday, can be read by clicking here.
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“The ordinance gives police more tools, brings us into compliance with state law, and responds to constituent complaints,” said RTM member Christine Brown.
Those who opposed the new law said they did not see noise as an issue impacting the whole town, but more of a neighborhood matter in the beach area and by Sacred Heart University.
“I don’t believe in restricting things,” said RTM member Jeff Steele. “I don’t see this as an overall town issue. I know it exists, but primarily in a couple of areas.”
“While the police department seems to have come onboard for this, they also said that they don’t need this to do their job,” said RTM member Karen McCormack. “There’s just not an overwhelming demand for this.”
Resident Alyssa Israel disagreed. She received data from Fairfield police that showed that 70 percent of noise complaints are town wide, not just in a few areas, adding that since 2017, there have been 2,300 noise complaints called in to police in Fairfield.
RTM member Ken Astarita, who said he did not initially support the ordinance, ended up voting in favor, largely because it was improved over time.
“I was concerned about making police officers’ lives more difficult,” Astarita said. “However, the new ordinance gives them more discretion.”
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