The Parker City Council met in a special workshop on Sept. 30 to discuss a proposed update to the city’s noise ordinance, hearing extended debate from council members, police staff and more than a dozen residents before taking no formal action and scheduling further review.

Council members, the city’s police representatives and a committee that drafted the proposal spent the hour-long session discussing proposed changes that include new daytime/nighttime decibel limits, a “plainly audible” enforcement standard for neighbor-to-neighbor complaints, and exemptions for ordinary maintenance and construction. Mayor Susan Peddle opened the workshop and directed discussion to the ordinance’s text, beginning with the definitions section labeled "131.02." The meeting concluded with council agreeing to take no action on the draft and to hold additional review and a future workshop.

Why it matters: The proposal would change how officers respond to routine neighborhood noise complaints and how event venues or large gatherings are measured. Residents said the draft could criminalize ordinary family or farm activity; the police and the ordinance committee said the measure would give officers clearer tools to address repeated or deliberately disruptive noise.

Council debate focused on three linked topics: hours when stricter limits would apply, the numeric decibel thresholds, and whether enforcement should rely on sound meters or on officer discretion backed by a “reasonable person/plainly audible” standard. Councilmember Pilgrim and others, citing public feedback, proposed later weekend cutoffs (11 p.m. or midnight) for social/party activity while leaving construction and maintenance hours unchanged. Councilmember Sharp and others stressed clarity and enforceability, saying 7 a.m. start times for construction work are typical and help contractors and residents plan.

Police testimony: Parker police representatives told the council they average roughly four noise complaints per month and that enforcement typically focuses on gaining compliance rather than issuing citations. “We probably average about four calls a month for noise,” an officer said, adding that officers more commonly secure compliance at the scene than write tickets. The police described two practical enforcement tracks: using decibel meters for large venues or commercial events and a subjective “reasonable person/plainly audible” approach for neighbor-to-neighbor disputes, supported by body-cam evidence when needed.

Public comment: Dozens of residents spoke or submitted written comments. Several longtime residents urged the council to preserve Parker’s ‘‘country’’ character and warned against rules that would mirror more restrictive nearby cities. “A misdemeanor is a serious thing,” Lynette Ammar told the council, urging clearer language on enforcement steps and warnings before criminal penalties apply. Other speakers asked for explicit exemptions for agricultural operations and for clarification of how recurrent private events (for example, weekly church youth activities) would be handled.

Technical issues raised: Committee members and police discussed measurement issues. Committee members reported that z-weighted (flat) measurements can read about 10 decibels higher than A-weighted readings for the kind of amplified bass found at events — a factor that affects whether a given sound exceeds a numeric limit. The proposed draft in the packet sets daytime and nighttime numeric levels lower than Parker’s current values; council members suggested more graduated changes (for example, moving 75 dB to 70 dB, or splitting the difference at night) to avoid abrupt shifts.

Next steps and staff direction: Councilmembers asked staff to return with clarifications on several points, including (1) whether the ordinance should explicitly treat commercial-event venues and residential sources differently, (2) the logistics and costs of procuring and maintaining sound meters for patrol vehicles, (3) whether agricultural operations should be exempt or explicitly referenced, (4) the 30-foot measurement versus receiving-property-line measurement, and (5) suggested weekday/weekend hour variations. The workshop ended with the council taking no action on the draft and directing staff to schedule another, longer workshop so the public and council can review refined language prior to any vote.

Council members asked that any revised draft be published with adequate lead time and that residents continue to submit written comments early so staff can analyze them prior to the next meeting.

What was not decided: The council did not adopt the ordinance, did not vote on numeric decibel levels or hours, and did not finalize any enforcement protocols. Council members emphasized the draft can be revised and revisited.

Context: The noise-review process began in mid-2024 and included a citizen committee that reviewed ordinances from other cities in the region. Committee members said they used neighboring-city language (Allen, Garland, McKinney and others) as models and narrowed a set of provisions they presented to council. Committee members and police stressed the goal is to balance residents’ sleep and peace expectations with reasonable use of private property and necessary maintenance activities.

For now the status is: further review — staff to research the items listed above and bring proposed language and analysis back to council for another workshop and broader public review.