Planning board to consider in June

Several Silver Creek Community residents have asked Polk County to create a noise ordinance due to excessive noise from guns, cars and music within the subdivision.

About a dozen residents attended the Polk County Planning Board meeting held Thursday, May 9 saying they have neighbors shooting guns all through the night and revving engines. A petition with approximately 30 signatures was also presented to the planning board from residents who were unable to attend the meeting.

Silver Creek Community resident Ronald Deal proposed a noise ordinance based on Henderson County’s existing ordinance. He said he’s lived in the community 13 years and has people next door playing loud music to the point  where he has to wear earphones in his home.

“I mean, I can’t sleep,” he told the planning board.

Silver Creek resident Don Yarbrough said just before coming to the planning board meeting a person behind his house was shooting a gun and a person in front of his house was shooting a gun.

“And I was afraid to go out my door,” said Yarbrough. “It is a very serious problem in our area.”

Polk County once had a noise ordinance that was approved in June 2004 but it was rescinded later that year after the then sheriff said he couldn’t enforce the ordinance the way it was written.

Planning board chair Bill Ennis said the county at the time didn’t involve the sheriff in creating the draft and said he thinks the planning board should first get the sheriff and the attorney involved prior to drafting a noise ordinance.

The 2004 noise ordinance included decibels, which was the enforcement issue.