Kennebunk voters will decide on a strengthened noise ordinance at a special town meeting on Feb. 11. 

Kennebunk voters will decide on a noise ordinance next month. Dan King / Kennebunk Post

One of the proposed amendments is a new definition of the word “noise,” that Select Board members say was not clearly defined in the past. 

It is now defined as “plainly audible,” giving local police officers the framework to handle noise complaints from Kennebunk residents. 

Noise ordinances are always subjective, Town Attorney Natalie Burns said, but the addition of the definition of noise should help to “tighten up” the ordinance. 

“Right now, it can be problematic in enforcement,” Burns said. “We hope it will provide guidance in the court to what the town is seeking and to anyone who is generating noise.” 

Common noise complaints received by the Kennebunk Police Department include loud music, ATVs, and other unusually loud and uncommon noises. 

The proposed ordinance updates will also prohibit private trash haulers from picking up trash before 5 a.m. 

“Hopefully they will not be clanking their large containers and waking up residential folks unnecessarily,” Community Development Director Lee Jay Feldman said. 

Also in the ordinance is a clause that would allow the town to use the services of a third-party sound engineer to take decibel readings at the request of someone making a complaint, if the police can not determine if the complaint is valid. 

Select Board member Lisa Pratt said the proposed ordinance will allow police officers to respond to noise complaints before 10 p.m. 

“Hopefully we don’t get to a point where we have to measure decibels and get professionals involved,” Pratt said. 

Kennebunk voters will also decide on the future of the town’s system of waste disposal on Feb. 11. Dan King / Kennebunk Post

The process to update the noise ordinance began in the fall, when the town’s Ordinance Review Subcommittee spent several months drafting amendments to the ordinance to make it easier for local officers to enforce. 

Over the course of five meetings, the subcommittee received input from residents during public meetings, which Feldman said was important in drafting ordinance proposals. 

Residents felt strongly about the ordinance updates, asking for local police to be able to respond to noise complaints. 

Joan Honeywell spent the last few months attending every meeting on the noise ordinance, providing insight and opinions. Last month, alongside other Kennebunk residents, she expressed her support for the ordinance updates. 

“Right now, when there has been loud music or loud ATVs, when we’ve called the police, we’ve been told there’s nothing they can do until after 10 p.m.,” Honeywell said. “I have a vested interest in this.” 

Voters will also decide on the future of the town’s system of waste disposal on Feb. 11.