July 9, 2025 · 6:00 PM

City Council Special

The Council approved two one-night noise ordinance waivers for live music at Washington Street and 19th Street businesses, adding specific decibel limits for one of them. The meeting was short and focused entirely on these waivers.

Key Decisions

Council approved a noise waiver for Heroes Venture Arcade’s July 17 live music, but only with specific decibel limits after discussing past neighborhood complaints and hearing the owner’s promise to work with neighbors.

Council approved a noise waiver for Berserkers’ July 20 live music; the minutes show a confusing record where the motion “carried” but also lists Petri as both voting yes and abstaining.

Public Input · 1 speaker

Michael Cleveland

The business owner said neighbors supported the waiver based on messages he received, and he promised to work with neighbors to address any concerns about music volume.

Agenda Items

25-135 Consideration of a Request for Noise Ordinance Waiver for Heroes Venture Arcade, 2022 Washington Street, for Live Music on Thursday, July 17 from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM---Waive the Provisions of Sections 9-2-5B(2)(b) Regarding Noise Audible Within an Enclosed Structure Used for Residential Purposes and Section 9-2-5D, Pertaining to Vibration

Passed 6-0

Council approved Heroes Venture Arcade’s request to exceed the city’s usual noise limits for a July 17 live music event, after discussing prior neighborhood concerns about volume. The approval came with added conditions: 80 decibels from 7–9 p.m., then 70 decibels from 9–11 p.m. This is the kind of case where clear, enforceable conditions matter—because “we’ll work with neighbors” is not the same as a measurable standard when complaints come in.

📄 See in official document: Page 1

Roll call vote 6 yes 3 absent

Mark Bittner absent

Doug Brandt yes

Shannon Derby absent

Bill LeClair yes

Darla LeClair yes

Tim Petri yes

Bonnie Shimulunas yes

Scott Stechmesser yes

Adam Wachowski absent

noise ordinance waivers Full history →

25-136 Consideration of a Request for Noise Ordinance Waiver for Berserkers, 1811 19th Street, for Live Music on Sunday July 20, 2025 from 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM--Waive the Provisions of Sections 9-2-5B(2)(b) Regarding Noise Audible Within an Enclosed Structure Used for Residential Purposes and Section 9-2-5D, Pertaining to Vibration

Passed

Council approved a noise waiver for Berserkers’ July 20 live music event. The minutes say the motion carried by roll call, but the vote record is internally inconsistent (Petri is listed under “Voting Yea” and also as “Abstain”), which is a basic recordkeeping problem residents shouldn’t have to guess about. If the city is going to grant exceptions to neighborhood-impact rules, the public record needs to be clean and unambiguous.