ROYAL CITY — A new noise ordinance was passed by the Royal City Council, during a regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

“It changes the way it is written for residences,” said Shilo Christensen, finance director for the City of Royal City. “We’ve had some noise complaints for residential areas. The only way to enforce the neighbor to quiet down was to wait until 10 p.m.”

The revised ordinance will prohibit noise from carrying past 100 feet from the residence.

In other business, the council voted to approve stipend pay for Officer Rey Rodriguez while he is serving as interim police chief. Royal City Police Chief Darren Smith is currently on extended sick leave. According to a doctor’s note, there is no end date to his sick leave. Smith will be using accrued sick leave and vacation time. Rodriguez will celebrate his 10th anniversary with the department in February of 2020.

The police department is surplusing a 2011 Dodge Charger. With the purchase of the new police vehicle, the city had four vehicles for three officers. The Charger was the oldest. The city received 14 bids for the vehicle. The highest was $4,510.

The council authorized the city to pay $600 towards the 2017 Ahlers Street road improvements. SHOC (Strengthening the Heart of Our Community) paid for $1200 of the bill. The city was expected to pay the rest. Due to a miscommunication, the bill was never paid. The authorization from council pays the remaining bill in full.

Two potential city ordinances were discussed. The city is looking at drafting an ordinance that would require rental property owners to get a business license. The rental home would also be subject to periodic inspections.

“It is for safety reasons,” Christensen said. “For example, making sure the smoke alarms work.”

The other ordinance discussed relates to dangerous dogs. The state has recently amended laws around dangerous dogs. The city is looking to update its ordinance to match state law.

The City of Royal City and the Royal Golf Club Association will be negotiating a new contract. The golf course is owned by the city and managed by the Royal Golf Club Association. The last contract signed by the two parties was in 2011. During that time, two pay amendments have been added.

“We pay the golf course a certain amount each year,” Christensen said. “Don’t think that the city is trying to stop working with them. It is in our best interest to continue working with them. This is just an update to the contract.”