Farmingdale noise code plan on hold over decibel meters

Farmingdale officials have put proposed revisions to the village noise code on hold after disagreements over whether to use decibel meters to enforce the ordinance, according to the mayor.

Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said he would prefer that code enforcement officers exercise their judgment rather than rely on equipment that measures sound levels.

“I hate to have these people walking around with a decibel meter,” Ekstrand said in an interview. “Can’t we use common sense? If the code enforcer says it’s too loud, it’s too loud.”

Farmingdale’s booming bar and restaurant scene on Main Street has spurred noise complaints, according to village officials. But the balancing act of keeping businesses and residents happy has proved challenging.

Ekstrand said code enforcement officers have been “giving the bars and restaurants a little too much slack” in the past and have been instructed to be more aggressive in enforcing the existing village ordinance.

Meanwhile, the village held a hearing on proposed changes on May 5 and continued the hearing at its July 10 trustee meeting. But the trustees decided to wait until the summer season was over to address the measure.

The proposed amendment to the code, posted on the village website, would add restrictions on commercial establishments that want to play music indoors and outdoors — including by requiring that they obtain an annual music permit and close doors and windows after 9 p.m.

Joseph Garcia, president of the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce, said slowing down the rule-making process is a good thing.

"The more input from both the community at large, as well as the businesses and village officials, the better our final outcome ends up," Garcia said. "At the end I think we'll get something that both the residents that live nearby and the businesses that operate here can live with."

Garcia said he agrees with Ekstrand about keeping decibel meters out of code enforcement's toolbox.

"Sometimes it's common sense that one place is a problem and another place isn't," Garcia said. "The more discretion we give to code enforcement, the better off certainly the businesses and the restaurants will be."