Stevens v. Matanuska-Susitna Borough

146 P.3d 3, 2006 Alas. App. LEXIS 96, 2006 WL 3300333
CourtCourt of Appeals of Alaska
DecidedJune 23, 2006
DocketA-9134, A-9391
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 146 P.3d 3 (Stevens v. Matanuska-Susitna Borough) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Alaska primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stevens v. Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 146 P.3d 3, 2006 Alas. App. LEXIS 96, 2006 WL 3300333 (Ala. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinions

OPINION

COATS, Chief Judge.

This case involves a noise ordinance enacted by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in May 2004 after homeowners complained that their sleep was being disturbed by amplified music coming from the Fish Heads Bar and Grill on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. Robert Stevens Jr. owns that business, which abuts a residential subdivision.

[6]*6Shortly after the ordinance was enacted, Stevens was cited twice for violating it. He was convicted of those violations in October 2004, Within a week of those convictions, he was cited five more times. A trial on those additional charges was held in August 2005, and Stevens was convicted of two more violations. Stevens has appealed his convictions in both cases. We have consolidated his appeals for purposes of this decision.

In general terms, the noise ordinance at issue forbids amplified noise or vibration during certain hours of the day and night that can be plainly heard or felt on neighboring property such that it disturbs a person of normal sensibilities. Stevens has asked us to invalidate the ordinance. He argues that the language of the ordinance is so vague that it fails to give constitutionally adequate notice of what conduct is prohibited and so over-broad that it chills free speech. He also argues that the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has no authority to regulate noise.

For the reasons explained below, we conclude that the noise ordinance survives Stevens's constitutional challenges. We also conclude that Stevens has not met his burden to show that the Borough exceeded its statutory authority in enacting the ordinance. We therefore affirm Stevens's convictions.

Facts and proceedings

Stevens was cited for violating the Borough's noise ordinance, MSB 8.5%, on Saturday May 22, 2004, at about 1:22 a.m. and on Sunday May 283, 2004, at about 2:80 a.m. based on evidence that his neighbors were disturbed in their homes by the sound of amplified bass music emanating from the Fish Heads Bar and Grill.

On October 8, 2004, a bench trial was held in district court before Superior Court Judge William H. Fuld. At that trial, the Borough presented testimony by Brian Archer, a private investigator it had hired to do sound surveillance of the Fish Heads bar. Archer testified that on May 22, from 1:14 am. to 2:26 a.m., he stood about 150 yards from the Fish Heads bar, in the adjacent residential subdivision. He said that from that location the "whomp, whomp" sound of amplified bass music was "fairly consistent throughout that hour." Archer said he returned to the subdivision on May 28 from 2:15 a.m. to 3:15 a.m. and heard the same bass sound, with only occasional two-minute gaps in the sound. He said he was "absolutely positive" the sound came from the Fish Heads bar. However, on cross-examination, he conceded that his tape recorder had not picked up the bass sound, only the rustling of trees and other neighborhood noises.

Two homeowners in the subdivision testified. Tara Gibbs said that while in her home on May 22-283 from 11:00 p.m. until 1:80 a.m., when she fell asleep, she heard a continuous "thumping" noise from the Fish Heads bar. She said that similar noises had affected her sleep for the past year. Dewey Taylor, another neighbor, testified that he heard a thumping noise from the bar on May 28 beginning at about 2:00 a.m., which lasted for at least an hour and prevented him from sleeping.

Stevens testified in his defense. He said he had offered to buy Gibbs's and Taylor's homes for their appraised value. He also testified that "thump-thump" noises were often generated by car stereos in his parking lot and when he heard those noises he asked the drivers to turn their music down. He said that prior to the weekend of May 22-28 he had taken steps to reduce the sound emanating from his bar, including installing devices designed to monitor and control audio output, reducing and moving the bass speakers, installing more drop panels in the roof, and adding insulation and heavy steel doors.

Judge Fuld ruled based on this evidence that Stevens had violated the noise ordinance on both dates. Stevens then filed a motion for reconsideration, attacking the validity of the ordinance. He argued that the ordinance was unconstitutionally vague; that is, that its terms were so imprecise that it did not give adequate notice of what conduct was prohibited and encouraged arbitrary enforcement by Borough officials. He also challenged the ordinance for overbreadth, arguing that the threat of criminal sanctions would deter amplified campaign announcements and other protected speech.

[7]*7Judge Fuld granted the motion for reconsideration. After considering the parties' supplemental briefing, he upheld the ordinance, finding that it was a "reasonable effort to control obnoxious noise."

In October 2004, Stevens was again cited (five times) for violating the ordinance. Before trial on these violations, Stevens moved to dismiss the citations based on the same legal claims raised in his previous case: that the ordinance was unconstitutionally vague and overbroad. He also argued that the Borough had acted outside its authority in enacting the ordinance. District Court Magistrate David L. Zwink denied the motions, ruling that the ordinance was constitutional and that the Borough had authority to regulate noise under its land use power. Trial was held over the course of four days in August 2005. Magistrate Zwink convicted Stevens of two of the five charges.

Stevens appeals his convictions.

Did the Borough have authority to enact the noise ordinance?

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is a see-ond-class borough. That means it is a "general law" municipality-that is, it only has those powers conferred by statute.1 (A home rule borough or city, by contrast, may exercise all legislative powers not prohibited by law or charter.2) [Stevens argues that the noise ordinance falls outside the Borough's enumerated powers.

All municipalities, including second-class boroughs, have general powers to, among other things, establish salaries for municipal employees, levy taxes, enforce ordinances, and acquire and dispose of proper-ty3 A second-class borough has certain additional powers conferred by statute, some of which are mandatory and some of which are discretionary.4

In arguing that the Borough acted outside its authority in enacting the noise ordinance, Stevens points to AS 29.85.210, which lists the powers second-class boroughs have discretion to exercise. Stevens argues, and the Borough concedes, that nothing in this statute gives the Borough discretion to pass a noise ordinance and that no election among voters in the Borough was held to confer that discretion as authorized in AS 29.835.210(c) and (d).

Instead, the Borough argues that the noise ordinance is a proper exercise of its mandatory land use power.5 More specifically, the Borough argues that AS 29.40.040(a)-in particular the portion italicized below-gave it authority to enact the noise ordinance at issue in this case:

Land use regulation. (a) In accordance with a comprehensive plan adopted under AS 29.40.030 and in order to implement the plan, the assembly by ordinance shall adopt or amend provisions governing the use and occupancy of land that may include, but are not limited to,
(1) zoning regulations restricting the use of land and improvements by geographic districts;

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Bluebook (online)
146 P.3d 3, 2006 Alas. App. LEXIS 96, 2006 WL 3300333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stevens-v-matanuska-susitna-borough-alaskactapp-2006.