Panel orders review of noise-fine ceiling

Other Committee · Meeting of September 8, 2026

Worcester's Public Safety Committee directed a review of raising noise-ordinance fines after residents said years of complaints against local churches went unaddressed. Chair Kate Toomey and councilors Tony Economo and Morris Bergman directed the city law department to determine the legal ceiling for raising the current $50 fine and draft new ordinance language, while also requesting a list of "problem properties" and a report on enforcement procedures. Resident Bruce Hoffner asked for fines as high as $5,000, saying "you wake up when it gets to 5,000," while Joseph Karsha, whose property abuts St. Joan of Arc Church, said he has "never once received an invitation to a hearing" despite "dozens of events" there.

Separately, the police chief told the committee hospital guard duty consumed 6,758 officer-hours in 2025 and 3,244 hours in the first four months of 2026, leaving as few as 15 to 16 officers covering the city at times, fueling renewed calls to grow the department toward 500 officers.

In the full story:

• Roll Call and Minutes
• Noise Ordinance Enforcement and the Push for Higher Fines
• Public Comment on the Noise Ordinance
• Hospital Guard Duty and Police Staffing
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,942 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of September 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.