The Lafayette City-Parish Council on Tuesday will consider an introductory ordinance that would tweak the wording in the city-parish noise ordinance to exempt business such as dog kennels, pet groomers and veterinarians from the “60 vocalizations in any 10-minute period” that applies to domestic animals and pets — a subsection of law that has long been applied mainly to persistently barking dogs. But the ordinance’s sponsor, Councilman Don Bertrand of District 7, which covers parts of the city, unincorporated Lafayette and Broussard, says he wants to broaden the discussion to roosters.
“Roosters are the ones that make all the noise at 5 o’clock in the morning,” says Bertrand, who tells The IND he has gotten complaints from city residents annoyed by crowing cocks in the wee hours. “One way to address it is to say you can’t have roosters in the city, although I’m not sure that’ll fly [with fellow council members].”
Up for a vote Tuesday, however — and it probably won’t be discussed because it’s an introductory ordinance — is the business exemption. Bertrand says he supports it because kennels, groomers and vets are businesses that must be located in areas zoned accordingly. But under present law, police must respond to complaints from people living close to those businesses. “Police can’t keep up,” he says. “I want them chasing criminals.”
As for roosters, Bertrand says he understands having them in rural, “agricultural” areas. The city is another matter: “It’s just about trying to make people responsible for the quality of life of their neighbors.”