The only consensus town trustees could reach on a noise ordinance during their
Tuesday, Nov. 12 meeting was that staff should keep working to perfect language in a
potential ordinance.
Consideration of a noise ordinance was the most discussed item on the agenda, which also
included approval of the 2025 budget, talk about hazard mitigation, and trustee comments about transportation planning, Visit Estes Park’s CEO search committee makeup, and being an election judge.
Components of a potential noise ordinance were hotly debated by the board. Whether
or not offending sounds should be measured at the receiving property or the emitting
property, the decibel limits for various zones, and the hours the ordinance would be in
effect were all part of the conversation.
Public comment showcased a recent inclusion of a wedding venue at Coffee on the
Rocks, which is located less than 100 feet from some of the River Rock Townhomes.
“Our issue is not that we have moved next to a noisy business or anything like that,”
said Craig Williams, an owner at River Rock Townhomes and current homeowner
association president.
“There’s been some confusion about the town’s overall budget relative to our overall
revenues, and some people are under the mis-impression that we are running a budget deficit,” said Town Administrator Travis Machalek. “That is not the case. The budget is structurally balanced ongoing revenues to meet ongoing costs. What you see in that differential is a planned use of excess fund balance to fund capital investments.”
“It’s that we’ve had a business next to us morph into a noisy business. We’ve had
Coffee on the Rocks next to us for 18 years without any issues, no problems at all, (but)
they have added ‘Venue on the Rocks,’ which includes wedding receptions and other
things that involve a great deal of noise that have really almost destroyed our evenings
throughout the summer,” he said
Williams went on to describe walls vibrating from the loud music, loss of sleep, and
possible health concerns created by the loud noises coming from the adjacent property.
But the board had varying opinions.
Trustee Kirby Hazelton expressed being “disenchanted” with the notion of passing a noise ordinance at all, citing enforcement concerns and past experiences that previous boards had with similar ordinances.
“I go places where there’s live music and that kind of thing. It’s not just people who are
visiting our community,” she said, also acknowledging that there are people who have
moved here for “more peaceful ways of life. So ultimately, when I’m looking at this, I’m
trying to figure out how we incentivize behavior that allows that coexistence.”
Concerns about weddings booked years in advance, noises carried over distances, and
even the cost of decibel meters were debated among the board members. It was resolved to send the ordinance back for revisions, incorporating the feedback from the
meeting.
In other business
The final public hearing on the Town’s 2025 budget was held during this meeting and the budget was passed with changes incorporated from the first public hearing.
Five new full-time positions in the Power Communications fund, returning the mill levy to
1.822, and an increase of $6,000 over the original staff recommendation in base funding
for the Estes Arts District were all included in the final version of the budget.
To pass and operate under the new budget, several resolutions were approved by the
trustees including authorization to use the Highway User’s Trust Fund for road
maintenance, a resolution to adopt the 2025 Town Budget of $92,280,000 with a 25.3%
reserve, a resolution to return the mill levy to 1.822, the approval of the 2025-29 Capital
Improvement Plan, and a resolution to approve the appropriations of those funds for the
purposes stated in the budget documents.
“There’s been some confusion about the town’s overall budget relative to our overall
revenues, and some people are under the mis-impression that we are running a budget
deficit,” said Town Administrator Travis Machalek. “That is not the case. The budget is
structurally balanced ongoing revenues to meet ongoing costs. What you see in that
differential is a planned use of excess fund balance to fund capital investments.”
The board also approved a letter of intent to participate in Larimer County’s Hazard
Mitigation Plan, due to expire next year. Larimer County informed the Town that grant
funding would be available to participate in the planning, which is required by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency if the Town receives federal grant funding for
hazard mitigations.
During liaison reports, Trustee Mark Igel requested input on a multi-modal transportation
plan and a transit development plan.
“They are both plans that will have a significant impact on our community,” Igel said.
“They are things that we should weigh in on now, when we’re talking about forming
these plans and putting these plans together or finalizing these plans, versus the night
we vote on them. So if you have any input on transportation plan, it will affect you if you
live here, or if you travel here…please read them and weigh in on them.”
Other trustee liaison comments included Hazelton expressing disappointment that she was not included on the CEO search committee for VEP, Frank Lancaster’s account of serving as an election judge, and Mayor Gary Hall’s notes stressing the importance of civility.
The next town board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 26 in the Town Hall board room.