Milo wants county-wide noise ordinance

    MILO—The Milo Town Board recommended gathering support from Yates County townships for proposing a county-wide noise ordinance during their meeting Monday, Sept. 17. During last month’s meeting, several property owners along the lake came to show their support for such an ordinance due to the loud parties of transient visitors who only rent a property for a week at a time.
    Supervisor Leslie Church said she has discussed the issue with the town attorney as well as the legislative advisory committee, and that both groups suggested a county-wide noise ordinance would be a better route to take than a local ordinance. She said any sort of ordinance would require the sheriff’s department and the state police to enforce it, and that the town would need the full support of the Yates County Legislature to ensure the fiscal means of enforcement. Church also said a written complaint would still be required under a local town law as well.  Many residents said they did not want to sign complaints against neighbors last meeting.
    Church said she has talked to the supervisors of five different townships in Yates County, and that most of them would not be opposed to a county-wide ordinance.
    County Legislator Mark Morris said he does not think the legislature would be willing to pass a county-wide regulation unless several towns came forward to say they supported it. He said it may not be enough to have towns say they are not against it and that they need to show that they actively want a noise ordinance put in place.
    When asked if the town would be willing to go ahead with a local ordinance if they were unable to secure a county-wide one, the board remained silent. Church said it would be difficult and costly to enforce.
    Resident Tim Dunn said the town needs some sort of ordinance in place because people are afraid to complain against neighbors who are highly intoxicated or smoking crack. He said in Irondequoit, there was no need for a signed complaint, and that requiring one would put a target on the neighboring residents for potentially violent backlash.
    Church said a noise ordinance would not be able to prevent such retaliation anyway.
    “What shocks me is the number of people who are scared to call,” Legislator Robert Schwarting said. “The sheriff’s department will have to handle these types of complaints carefully and differently. It needs to be done where it doesn’t put a bull’s eye on the chest of neighbors.”
    Church said she will take the lead as a legislator and will get in touch with other town supervisors to form a unified front to get the county-wide ordinance put in place.
    In other news:
    • The board agreed to continue sending out a hydrofracking survey to town residents after finding out they could not hold a referendum vote on the issue.
    • The board scheduled a public hearing with the village of Penn Yan for Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. to discuss the annexation of Sherman Street into the village.