Liquor License Renewals Turn into Noise Complaints

A Ferndale City Council discussion about liquor licenses turned in to one about excessive noise from downtown businesses.

Complaints from resident Sherry Wells stem from the commotion the downtown bars and restaurants produce, most notably at the corner and West Nine Mile Road and Allen, near Wells' home. A noise petition from Ferndale residents, spearheaded by Wells, wants downtown businesses to follow proposed changes in ordinances.

In 2010, six businesses with liquor licenses reported 30 or more calls to the police department, including Rosie O’Grady’s with 91 and with 77. Within the calls from Rosie O’Grady’s, there was a felony warrant for arrest, larceny and parole violation.

“A lot of the 911 (calls) were response to calls for noise complaints,” Ferndale Police Chief Timothy Collins said during Monday night's City Council meeting

Despite layoffs last year, the police department has had no problems responding to the calls, Collins said. “The number of calls are up this year and yet, from the perspective of the police department, that was not considered a problem,” Mayor Dave Coulter said.

Wells said some downtown businesses failed to comply with city ordinances. Fed up with the noise, calls were placed to the police department and Wells brought the issue to the floor of the meeting asking that the "noisy" businesses have their liquor licenses called into question or revoked.

In defense of the high volume of calls, the police chief said the numbers for certain businesses can be misrepresented. Some phone calls traced non-criminal incidents to establishments indirectly involved. “Sometimes in CAD (computer-assisted dispatch) we would utilize that address because that’s where they called from for an auto lockout or for a traffic accident,” the chief said.

City Council is in no rush to question liquor licenses for noise complaints. The council already has a resolution in place for the criteria that can warrant the nonrenewal of a license. 

“Connecting the noise issue to a liquor licenses renewal to me is unfair at this time,” Councilwoman Melanie Piana said. “If council wants to consider putting noise in under one of the criteria for approving a liquor license down the road, we have the choice to do so."

On March 28, the city of Ferndale will hold hearings on renewing liquor licenses for establishments with delinquent taxes or those who have failed to pay any other financial obligations as of Feb. 28.

Some residents are pushing for city ordinances to regard the noise violations as an issue to health and safety. 

"You got to understand what it feels like to be put in the position of a complainer,” Wells said. “If we residents of the several blocks around there called every time we were disturbed and annoyed … it would spike even higher.”

Wells cited a neighboring family with twins who constantly have trouble getting to sleep at night. As a result, the parents have to send the children to kindergarten in the afternoon, she said.

 “We can call a lot more often if you really need that,” Wells said.