Passed at a July 15 City Council meeting, the amendment permits The Hills Country Club golf courses to operate lawn tools, like mowers and leaf blowers at 6:30a.m., rather than 7 a.m., during summer months.
The reason
While the change is minimal, staff with The Hills Country Club, which runs Flintrock Falls, Yaupon, Live Oak and the Signature Course, said it's an important change that will allow for more consistent morning tee times.
"We aren’t asking to do anything different than industry standards," Tournament Sales Director Keith Rader said at the meeting.
Before December, when The Hills received direction to comply with the noise ordinance, Rader said lawn maintenance often began at 6 a.m.
Rader said changing to the 7 a.m. start time during hot summer months would present safety concerns for lawn maintenance personnel and could cost the city around $50,000 in lost tax revenues.
What residents are saying
Dozens of residents testified before council about the changes.
Those who spoke against the ordinance told stories of sleep challenges due to loud lawn equipment.
Lakeway resident Tyler Helwig said he contacted over 30 households near the golf courses with residents who had not known about the proposed ordinance changes or were against them.
Others who lived on the golf course, such as Flintrock Falls neighbor David Mckenzie, expressed indifference toward the noise.
"If you buy a house on a busy street, you're going to have traffic. ... If you buy a house on a golf course, you're going to have the occasional golf balls, and you're going to hear early-morning noise," Mckenzie said.
What's next
Council passed the ordinance change with plans to revisit the amendment in October.
"What we're trying to do is be the best partner that we can be to the golf courses that are impacted by this as well as make as many people happy as possible," council member Kelly Brynteson said. "Let's see what happens over the next couple months. I definitely think that people will be watching, so when we say 6:30, that means 6:30."
