The Carroll County Board of Supervisors are still mulling over whether to implement a noise ordinance throughout the county.
The issue was raised at their last board meeting in Vaiden, when Sheriff Clint Walker told the board about a nurse who lived near a nightclub. He said the woman has not been able to get any rest because the club plays loud music, and there have several incidences reported.
The board agreed to allow board attorney Kevin Horan to give them options as to what noise ordinance would best suit the county as a whole.
Horan presented two options. The first would be to restrict the sale of alcohol to certain hours, and the operator of the business must have an Alcohol Beverage Control permit to distribute liquor and light wine, with a percentage of their sales based in other consumable products, such as food.
The second option is similar to the first, except it states the owner must pay a privilege tax and have a business permit to operate business. It would still incorporate having to have a percentage of sales based in other consumable products.
Horan said if the board decided to act on either, it wouldn’t affect convenience stores or someone having a wedding or reception on their property.
“I know you all didn’t want to infringe on the rights of private property owners so these are the best two options I came up with,” Horan said.
He said that it would be a lot of work to manage both of them, being that the ordinance would have to have a variance application process that the board would have to approve.
“There aren’t other rural counties like ours that have a noise ordinance,” he said.
Horan said more populated cities like Oxford, Grenada, Ridgeland and Madison all have noise ordinances, but because Carroll County is so spread out, they don’t have to have the ordinance.
“Can’t we do something like disturbing the peace?” Supervisor Josh Hurst asked. “Like, if someone lives near a ‘honky tonk’ and they’re disturbing the peace, why can’t they just call the police? And the police tell them to keep it down, and they do what they’re asked to do.”
Horan said that anyone could call the sheriff’s department about disturbing the peace. However, Chief Deputy Adam Eubanks said the problem would be getting someone to sign the affidavit against the club.
“People aren’t willing to sign it,” Eubanks said.
“It’s not really that complicated,” Horan said about the ordinances.
He said he only came up with the options because he was asked to do so.
Board President Jim Neill asked if it was legal for a place to sell products and not pay sales taxes. Horan told him that it was not legal.
When asked if the sheriff’s department had any more problems out of the club, he said it hasn’t.
The board decided to table it and consider it again at their next meeting.
