The Eatonton City Council voted 4–1 last Tuesday to uphold the city’s midnight noise ordinance.
Brandon Riley, owner of B. Riley Entertainment (BRE), appeared before the council seeking a one-hour extension for events he organizes and promotes at the Butler-Baker School site on Alice Walker Drive. Riley said he has hosted 11 events over the past year and a half without being informed that the city’s noise ordinance required amplified sound to end at midnight.
“I never knew about the noise ordinance,” Riley told council members. “If I knew this before I booked the artist, I would have been prepared. I’m just asking for that one hour extended on my events.”
Riley explained that his flyers list an event ending time of 2 a.m., but performances typically conclude between 1:15 and 1:30 a.m. The later published time, he said, serves as a buffer in case artists arrive late due to traffic or other unforeseen delays.
To demonstrate neighborhood support, Riley said he had a list of more than 70 signatures from nearby residents who said they were not bothered by the post-midnight music.
When called upon for his opinion, Eatonton Police Chief Howell Cardwell acknowledged that Riley routinely coordinates with the department prior to events.
“Brandon ... comes and sits down in my office two weeks before the event every time,” Cardwell confirmed. However, he added that noise complaints were common during past BRE concerts.
“I get complaints all the time when these events go on," he said. "I’ve got to put my foot down right here. It needs to stop [by midnight].”
Council members expressed concern about both noise and consistency in enforcing city ordinances. Ward 2 Councilman James Gorley noted that outdoor amplified sound carries well beyond the immediate area.
“There is a reason we have a noise ordinance,” he said, adding that even more than a mile away, he could hear Riley’s concerts inside his home.
Ward 1’s Mylle Mangum said the ordinance has been in place “for a very good reason,” noting that amplified outdoor music can carry long distances.
“Nothing good happens after midnight,” she added.
Freshman Councilman Fredrick Lowe of Ward 3 cast the lone vote to approve Riley’s request. He suggested that, since previous events had not been stopped at midnight, allowing the already-booked March 28 event to run until 1 a.m. would be fair.
“If we let something go on for 11 events and then we have the 12th one, and now we’re saying no, I think that’s unfair,” Lowe said. “And then after this, he (Riley) would know 12 o’clock is the limit.”
The others, however, insisted that granting an exception could set a negative precedent for other city ordinances.
“If we make an exception because someone didn’t know, then what do we say to the next person?” Ward 4’s Teresa Doster asked.
Following a lengthy discussion, the council voted to deny the request and uphold the existing midnight cutoff.
In other business, the council approved street closures for the annual Dairy Festival 5K, 10K, and Fun Run scheduled for June 6, declared two aging public works trucks surplus property, and approved a change in the city’s employee health insurance provider to UnitedHealthcare, citing cost savings over the renewal proposal from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
The meeting concluded with recognition of both Putnam County High School basketball teams advancing to the Elite Eight for state championship play, marking the first time the boys’ and girls’ teams went that far in the same season.