RENSSELAERVILLE — The town board discussed drafting a possible noise ordinance in an April 28 meeting that 10 residents attended.

The proposal was prompted by complaints Valerie Lounsbury said she has heard during her three years as supervisor.

She cited one instance where music could be heard miles away from a residence during early-morning hours. When police have been called, she said, “They say you have no noise ordinance and we can’t do anything — and, in my opinion, these people did have a legitimate gripe.”

Lounsbury stressed several times during the meeting that the law is intended to give police a mechanism for enforcement and not to be overly restrictive. She said she used a New Scotland law as a template and now it will be reviewed, with the board’s modifications, by the town’s attorney.

“You have places in the town, like the Carey Center, that have weddings,” said Councilwoman Marion Cooke. “How are you going to stop them?”

The center’s president, Gareth Crawford, attended the meeting and told the board that, by making sure wedding parties move inside after midnight, his organization would try to accommodate the law and residents in the hamlet nearby.

“We don’t want to have to turn away wedding business if we can avoid it, but, at the same time, we can put clauses into our contracts,” said Crawford.

Cooke also took issue with a provision in the proposed law that said its parameters didn’t apply to “municipally sponsored” events.

“I just think, if the town of Rensselaerville can do it, why can’t a private person do it?” Cooke asked.

Kimberly Graff, director of the Rensselaerville Library, suggested the law call for some kind of communication between police and the code-enforcement officer in the town, so a resident or business holding a noisy event could give notice.

The April 23 meeting was not a public hearing, which would be held later if the board decides to go forward with adopting the law.