Cedarburg decibel limit, common council votes down proposed ordinance
CEDARBURG, Wis. - The music will play on in Cedarburg. On Monday night, Aug. 26, the common council quickly shot down a controversial noise limit on outdoor music.
A standing room only crowd packed city hall as the council considered lowering the maximum noise level for outdoor music venues to 65 decibels, a noise level roughly equal to normal conversation.
Cedarburg Common Council meeting
Neighbors of some downtown venues have complained that an increase in live, outdoor entertainment is affecting the enjoyment of their homes.
But the majority of public comments seemed to support an increasingly vibrant live music scene.
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Cedarburg City Hall
"We have this sleepy little town. And we love it. I live here too," said Cedarburg resident Jen Gerber. "And what happens when that sleepy little town wakes up and things start thriving? That’s when we celebrate that. Rather than shutting it down."
Some council members suggested, instead of a blanket noise limit, the city should consider different rules for each venue, depending on their location.
In the end, the council voted to keep the existing ordinance, which limits outdoor music to 90 decibels.
That's roughly equivalent to hair dryers and power tools.
The ordinance wouldn't have applied to events at Cedarburg Creek Park, like "Country in the Burg."
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Original story
When Michele Tietz opened Lime Cantina in 2020, she had to get creative. The restaurant has been hosting outdoor live music ever since.
"Everyone wanted to be outside. We put in a very large patio and started live music," Tietz said. "Made the whole street busier because of live music. I think everyone is benefitting from it, and I think it would be a huge loss if we weren’t able to do it."
Some business owners fear the ordinance would put an end to live music in the city. It would cap the noise at 65 decibels; the current limit is around 90 decibels.
Live music at Lima Cantina, Cedarburg
"What the city is proposing is putting in place restrictions that would make it almost impossible to have live music," said Tietz.
City leaders said the proposal comes after some people complained that noise is too loud and frequent.
"We just want to have a quiet evening by ourselves when we don’t hear music, that we can’t even hear what they are singing or saying," said Janine Schultz.
FOX6 News tested the volume level on Washington Avenue without any live music nearby. It measured just over 65 decibels.
"I don’t disagree that 65 (decibels) is a little bit too quiet," said Common Council President Kristin Burkart. "I don’t know how it travels on that side of town – maybe it is too loud."
"We need to balance the complaints with the needs of other residents, the needs of other businesses and the needs of Cedarburg as a whole," she said.