Mayor: Slow down, quiet down, or expect to get ticket

Mayor Earl Johnson issued a friendly warning to area residents who are in the habit of speeding, littering, racing, and creating a commotion downtown: Continue, and you will receive a ticket.

Several residents of the downtown area attended Tuesday's council meeting and voiced concerns about the noise and potential for danger posed by those who congregate in downtown parking lots, and drag race when they leave.

"We don't want to hear vulgar songs playing loudly when we sit outside," one of the residents said. "It's gotten out of hand."

Mayor Johnson said he appreciated the professionalism and courtesy of those who expressed their concerns.

"These citizens came in a courteous fashion to complain about noise; fast, dangerous driving in their neighborhood; littering; boisterous yelling, screaming and foul language that can be heard all over the community; and leaving at high speeds and racing. We're going to put a stop to it," the mayor said.

Section 15-17 of the City's Code of Ordinances states that "No person shall make, continue or cause to be made or continued any noisewhich either annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others in the city. It shall also be unlawful and a nuisance for any person to make or permit to be made any such noiseby any motor vehicle in his control or upon any premises owned or possessed by him or under his management or control."

It further states that compression release engine brakes, and unreasonable sound amplification from a vehicle are violations of the ordinance.

"We have tried to use a soft touch, and it hasn't worked. We're going to get strict and we're going to write some tickets.

"Some folks will be mad about it, and some mamas and daddies mad about it when their children are ticketed, but that's the way it's gonna be," he said. "We have the potential that somebody will be killed or hurt seriously, and we don't want that to happen.

"We spend thousands of dollars picking up and cleaning up behind people so that our community looks good, and I'm tired of that. I'd rather spend that money on something rather than picking up trash left by people who don't care about our community," he said.

Johnson also said the city will soon add more cameras to assist in gathering evidence, and that fines will likely increase in the near future.

"We're going to give them one warning," he said. "After that, citations will be written. We're also going to look at all of our ordinances, consider the fines for these offenses, and most probably, and most probably those fine levels will be increased."

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