By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
City council members discuss, and eventually approved changes to three ordinances to restrict
loud and disruptive noises in Del Rio.
The addition of an article titled “Noise and Sound Level Regulations” to an existing city
ordinance was discussed at Tuesday’s regular council meeting.
Janice Pokrant, the city’s
planning and zoning director, explained to the council how the ordinance will function.
Pokrant and Del Rio Police Department Chief Frank Ramirez talked about how the
ordinance will define what is considered an unreasonable noise, establish clear guidelines to
enforce the new regulations and clarify what the consequences are for citizens who violate
them.
20, 2025, for citizens being briefed on the new “Noise and Sound Level Regulations” ordinance.
Citizens were allowed to ask questions such as what type of events may be affected by the
ordinance, which people will be affected by it and how Del Rio Police Department will handle
future noise complaints. During the meeting, Janice Pokrant, the city’s planning and zoning
director, clarified that the ordinance does comply with state standards.
Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez made the motion to approve the ordinance, and Mayor Pro-
tem Jim DeReus gave the second.
Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr. made a motion to table (postpone) the ordinance for further review.
DeReus asked Lopez to elaborate on why he wanted to table the ordinance, and Lopez
responded by saying he believes residents need more time to learn about the new restrictions.
“I still feel that residents don’t have enough time to understand this (ordinance). I think we need
more time. We are rushing through something again, and we are not giving citizens enough
education and information . . . Even the fine – the $500 fine – is a lot of money,” Lopez said.
City staff hosted a public meeting to answer questions about the new noise restrictions about a
week before the council meeting, but fewer than 20 citizens attended, and Lopez suggested
another meeting should be held to allow more citizens to attend, ask questions and understand
the ordinance correctly.
Before further discussion between the council members continued, Pokrant started her
presentation, explaining the purpose of the ordinance, which is to “consolidate the (city’s)
regulations, define what reasonable sound is by giving it limits by area and time, and also
provide fair guidance for the police officers that are enforcing it, and of course, to (provide)
safety, comfort and welfare for the community.”
Pokrant said there have been complaints of loud noises from construction work reported
throughout certain times of the year. The ordinance will help by giving an exemptio to allow
construction crews to work based on the time of day.
Pokrant then spoke about the types of events permitted and exempted by the ordinance, which
include concerts, parades, normal school functions (graduations, sports games, etc.), religious
and government activities. She also said property maintenance, such as mowing one’s lawn,
can also be exempted.
Pokrant then talked about the fines for noise violations, which she said are up to $500 a day and
are decided upon at the discretion of a judge when they are brought forward in court. She said police officers, too, can use “reasonable personal standards” and sound meters during calls for
enforcement.
After the presentation ended, the council discussed the noise regulations for night hours, which
will be from 10:01 p.m. to 7:59 a.m. the following day. Gutierrez said she believed 10:01 p.m. is
too early.
Ramirez addressed how law enforcement will carry out the regulations when noise complaints
are reported.
“What we are looking at is not the party. You can party whenever you want, but when it gets to
the point (when someone reports it), it doesn’t matter what time it is. If it is too loud, and it is
disturbing the neighborhood, then we need to address it. We need to tell them to turn it down,
and if they turn it down then there is no problem.
“It’s just a noise violation. If they are too loud, they are too loud. It doesn’t matter if they are
having a party in the backyard or screaming for no reason, too loud is too loud, and that is what
we’re going to address,” Ramirez said.
Gutierrez thanked Ramirez for explaining how the regulations will be set and informing citizens
that it will be based on the officer’s discretion.
Lopez asked whether citizens are going to get permits for parties and events, and Ramirez
clarified that citizens would only need to get permits for big events and not small parties. Lopez
reiterated he believes the ordinance needs to be studied further.
“You are throwing a lot more (into the ordinance) that I’m seeing and reading, and I’m
comparing it to other cities like San Antonio. (Del Rio) is not San Antonio. Like Carmen
(Gutierrez) said, ‘People like to party.’ And now we will tell them when to do it and when not to
do it? I still think we need to review it some more,” Lopez said.
Ramirez said the ordinance is designed to target the people who “don’t care” and will turn the
noise up even after they have been warned. He said these regulations will help give officers
another tool beyond a verbal warning.
“(The ordinance) is for the people that are in their vehicles, and they are just blowing that music
up outside somebody’s house, and we go by, and they say ‘we are going to turn it down.’ And
as soon we drive away, they crank it back up. Now to get the rest of the neighborhood mad,
(but) now we can do something about it. We can stop those people,” Ramirez said. “It’s going to
be for hard heads. Not for regular folks.”
Councilman J.P. Sanchez talked about construction crews and asked if they need a permit
when working jobs in the mornings. Ramirez said that type of work is allowed and may need to
get a permit. Ramirez also said there are emergency situations that would be exempt from the
ordinance, such as repairs on gas leaks or broken pipes.
Mayor Al Arreola asked about how the warnings will be handled, and City Attorney Ana
Markowski Smith said it will be up to the officer’s discretion to give a warning as a courtesy.
Ramirez said they can collect records of the warnings handed out, and he said officers will give
courtesy warnings during the early stages of the ordinances to help citizens get accustomed to
the new rules.
After 30 minutes discussing how the new restrictions will work, Lopez said he still believed the ordinance needs to be considered further before a decision is made.
The council then voted 5-2 to pass the ordinance adding the noise restrictions article to an
existing city ordinance, with Lopez and Sanchez voting against the motion to approve it. The
council also took up two other ordinances, which cleaned up the language in two other ordinances.
Those ordinances passed 5-2 and 7-0. Lopez and Sanchez against voted against the second
ordinance, but in favor of the third.
