The Magee Mayor and Board of Aldermen approved a new noise ordinance for the city at their July 18th meeting.
The new ordinance prohibits citizens from causing any loud or raucous noise in the city which is offensive to ordinary sensibilities and interferes with public peace and comfort.
Specific instances were defined in the ordinance. The operation of any sound equipment with volumes that disturb the peace and comfort of persons in any dwelling is a violation of the ordinance. No sound equipment may be operated within 150 feet of the property line of the premises of a residence except between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. The sounds made by the equipment shall not be obscene or profane language.
Also, the keeping of any animal which emits unreasonably loud and raucous noises is a violation, as is the use of any motor vehicle or motorcycle that emits any loud, raucous, or rattling noises.
Noises caused by any construction related activities near or in a residential area are authorized between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays unless a permit is obtained from the chief of police. The chief of police will issue these permits in accordance with the noise ordinance if a case meets the criteria of urgent and necessary in the interest of public safety.
The use of any mechanically powered tools or similar devices used outdoors in residential areas is prohibited between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Any person found guilty of violating this ordinance is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined up to $1,000 and imprisoned for up to 90 days. The ordinance in its entirety is available at City Hall.
Dr. Anika Floyd and Coach Earnest Jaynes appeared before the board and asked for financial consideration in the upcoming city budget to assist with restoring the Magee Consolidated High School/ McLaurin Vocational Attendance Center, which is also known as the old Magee Elementary School. Jaynes explained that once the building is restored it could be used to fill several different needs of the community in addition to being a museum. The property is located in the Magee Goodwater community.
Dr. Floyd explained that artifacts from that the 1950’s and beyond would be displayed there. She said the facility could support the community as a place to provide resources and activities. She described educating the community on financial literacy, home ownership, and bringing other things to the area. The McLaurin Vocational Attendance Center was declared a historical site years ago.
Dr. Floyd said a grant is available to assist with restoring the site through CMPDD that requires the city’s approval. Once the building is restored, she explained, it could be used for endless possibilities such as a WIN Job Center, voting precinct, and storm shelter.
Mayor Berry expressed his support of the project, and the board tabled the application until their next meeting.
The board discussed a plan to change the ward boundaries to get the city in compliance with the Department of Justice population variance for each ward. According to the recent census data, if the total population of Magee was divided by four, each ward would contain approximately 999 citizens. The Department of Justice allows for a 10 percent variance over or under this baseline number for each ward, described as a top to bottom variance.
The board discussed a new plan from the one previously reported. Alderman Sammie Tebo said the new plan balanced the numbers while keeping neighborhoods intact. The board tabled the decision until their next board meeting.
Braden Lambert and Heather McKenzie were approved as a new members of the Zoning Board.
Citizens for a Better Magee spokesperson Susan Walker asked the board to explain the new process for a public record request. Board Attorney Marc McMillan said the board adopted the form to better facilitate the process and track the request. McMillan said it allows the city to put a due date on the requests from the date they were received and provides more order. He said it also allows the city to charge a statutory fee for retrieving those records.
Police Chief Shane Little presented Felicia Hamilton for consideration as a part-time dispatcher with the Magee Police Department. The board tabled the decision pending a background investigation.
Brett Duncan of Charles Prince, CPA, touched on the budget and said the city is approximately $24,000 ahead of budget in the general fund. He explained that the city has the funds to hire new employees for vacant positions. He said that the use of internet sales tax is on track to reach $500,000, and that these funds must be used for infrastructure, debt service, or generic repair and maintenance of the street or water department.
Duncan summarized the current projects of the city and said the board is on track to invest approximately $3.5 million into the city by the end of 2026.
The board entered executive session to discuss a matter of employment and salary. No decisions were made following their discussion in executive session and the meeting was adjourned.
