Residents urge stricter enforcement of Thomasville noise ordinance after loud neighborhood parties
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Summary
Two residents told the Thomasville City Council that amplified music and live bands at private parties are shaking homes and going unaddressed, and they asked the council to clarify and enforce the city's noise rules.
Two Thomasville residents raised concerns at the May 19 City Council meeting about loud private parties that they say regularly disturb homes in their neighborhood.
Terry Beard, a Cable Street resident, said she is recovering from cancer and cannot live with persistent loud music that “rumbles through the house.” She cited the city ordinance language that prohibits loud, unnecessary or disturbing noise and noted the ordinance’s 50-foot rule. “The distance from my property line to their property line is approximately 265 feet,” Beard said, arguing the sound reaching her house exceeds the intended limits.
Christina Blackman, who identified herself as Beard’s sister, also described repeated yard parties with live bands and amplified sound that shook windows and blocked the street. Blackman said she has been reluctant to complain because of concerns about confronting neighbors and reported that police visits sometimes result in only temporary reductions in volume. “I have considered going to a hotel and then wondered if I could ask the city to reimburse me for going to that hotel because it wasn't enforced,” she said.
The comments came during the public forum portion of the meeting; no council action on the ordinance was taken that night. Mayor Raleigh York Jr. presided over the meeting while the City Manager was present and later moved into regular business.
The speakers asked the council to clarify the ordinance’s application in dense residential neighborhoods and to increase enforcement to prevent repeated disturbances. The transcript does not show staff or council agreeing to any specific enforcement changes or a direction to prepare ordinance amendments.
Council members did not take a formal vote or give definitive direction on rewriting the noise ordinance during the May 19 meeting. The items that followed the public comments addressed ceremonial proclamations and other agenda business, and the council proceeded with the consent and regular agendas.