Loading...
0974 ~q ORDINANCE NO. 974 (#13-92) AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING THE EMISSION SOUNDS WITHIN THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, AN EMERGENCY; AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES. OF LOUD AND RAUCOUS ARKANSAS; DECLARING WHEREAS, the emission of loud and raucous noise interferes with the peaceful enjoyment and use of private and public property within the City of Jacksonville; and, WHEREAS, the emission of unnecessary noise constitutes community well-being; and, such loud, raucous, a hazard to citizen and and WHEREAS, it is in the public interest, health, safety, and welfare that the City Council of the City of Jacksonville, Arkansas, exercise legislative determination and enact prohibitions against such noises to secure and promote the legitimate public interest of health, safety, and welfare. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS, THAT: SECTION ONE: The Jacksonville Municipal Code shall be amended to include the following provisions: It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully make, continue, or cause to be made or continued any loud and raucous noise, which terms shall mean any sound which, because of its volume level, duration and character, annoys, disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, health, peace, or safety of reasonable persons of ordinary sensibilities within the city limits of the City of Jacksonville. Application of these terms shall be limited to loud and raucous noise heard upon the public streets, public parks, any school or public buildings or grounds, any church or hospital or grounds, any parking lot open to members of the public as invitees or licenses, or any occupied residential unit or grounds which is not the source of the noise. Determination of such shall be in any event made from a location not less than twenty (20) feet from the souroe of the noise, to be measured in a straight line from the radio, loudspeaker, motor, horn, or other noise source. Exceptions to the terms of this Ordinance shall be those sounds or noises emitted for purposes to include emergency vehicles, sirens, warnings, or notices, church bells, train whistles and crossing alarms, school alarms, bells, and those noises emitted for celebration purposes during civic, church, community, school activities, and national holidays. SECTION TWO: Primia facie evidence of a violation of this Ordinance shall be provided through testimony from parties witnessing and hearing the emission of loud or raucous noises from horns, signalli~g devices, radios, stereos, amplifiers, loud speakers, or any such noise which exceeds the level of seventy (70) decibels from a distance of no less than twenty (20) feet from the source of said noise. SECTION THREE: Any person who violates any provision of this Ordinance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction in Municipal Court thereof, shall be fined no less than Twenty-five and 00/100 Dollars ($25.00) and no more than Five Hundred and 00/100 Dollars ($500.00). Each time the terms of this Ordinance are violated constitutes a separate offense. loB In the event a person convicted of a violation of this Ordinance continues such conduct, said continuation shall constitute a nuisance. The Chief of Police, or his authorized agents, is authorized to take the appropriate steps necessary to abate the nuisance, to include filing charges and seeking proper orders from the Municipal Court to adequately ensure such violations do not occur in the future. SECTION FOUR: Separab~lity. It is the intention of the Jacksonville City Council that each separate provision of this Ordinance be deemed independent of all other provisions herein. It is further intended that, if any provision of this Ordinance be declared invalid, all other provisions thereof remain valid and enforceable. SECTION FIVE: All Ordinances or parts of Ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict. SECTION SIX: Immediate implementation of the terms of this Ordinance are necessary to the peace, health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Jacksonville. Therefore, an emergency is hereby declared and this Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its passage and publication, as provided by and subject to applicable law. APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS ~/~ DAY OF MAY, 1992. CITY OF JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS -- I ('l ~~ ~ :;< tA.JO TOMMY SWAIM, M/YOR A1TEST: ~~. ~ ) LotA M. LEONARn( CITY CLERK ((lJ t,~~// ROBERT\ E. BAMBURG, (19' ATTOC'J