East Greenwich 'At the Sept. 29 Town Council meeting, a resident asked councilors to direct the town manager and police chief to enforce the town's noise ordinance against gas-powered lawn equipment, and town staff described an ongoing multi-session listening effort with landscapers and residents.

Resident request

John Paulus of Fifth Street told the council he appreciated the recent noise-ordinance workshop and asked for immediate enforcement action against lawn-equipment operators. "Please direct the town manager and police chief to ensure that the noise ordinance is enforced against violating lawn equipment operators immediately, starting with this fall cleanup season," Paulus said. He cited a Deputy Chief's remark at a workshop that prior chiefs had instructed officers not to enforce lawn-equipment noise.

Town response and outreach

Town staff reported the noise listening program has moved beyond an initial meeting and that the second session drew roughly 40 attendees, including landscapers and residents. The manager said the listening sessions "had an incredible turnout, probably close to 40 people in the room" and that staff will compile the topics and prepare draft ordinance language for council review this fall.

Why it matters: Residents said they want enforcement of existing rules and clearer standards for lawn-equipment noise. The manager's outreach seeks to balance resident concerns with the operational realities of landscaping businesses.

Next steps

Town staff said they will synthesize input from listening sessions, draft proposed ordinance language and return to the council with options this fall. No formal enforcement change or ordinance vote occurred on Sept. 29.