LA PORTE, Texas -- Lawyers for the Port of Houston Authority are scheduled to appear in La Porte Municipal Court next week to answer a citation that accuses the agency and its Bayport Terminal of being a noisy neighbor.
In the years-long dispute over the expansion of the terminal, La Porte Police began enforcing the city s noise ordinance last year. But this is believed to be the first time that one government agency has issued citations against another with an ordinance normally used to solve residential and commercial disputes.
According to the noise ordinance for the city, citations can be issued when noise reaches above 65 decibels during the day or 58 decibels at night. La Porte s ordinance stipulates that it can cite a resident or business for noise violations -- even if that noise source is outside city limits -- as long as the noise is coming from a location within 5,000 feet of the city.
A spokesperson for the Port of Houston Authority says that, to date, it has received nine noise citations from La Porte. The Port plans to fight the citations and insists that it is operating well within its rights.
The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 25.
