KNOX — After 20 minutes of discussion punctuated with heavy silences, Councilman Dennis Decker made the motion to accept a resolution regulating motorcycle use in the town.

Following complaints from some residents last fall about the noise from dirt bikes, the town board had the planning board look into changing the zoning ordinance to address the problem. In April, the town attorney, John Dorfman, presented a draft that would include regulation of motorcycles as part of the town’s zoning ordinances.
The law passed by a vote of 4 to 1 with Councilman Joseph Best dissenting. "That’s how we’re going to vote, individually, not as a group," said Best during discussion before the vote about party politics entering into the equation. Best is one of two Republicans on the board; the other three are Democrats.
The law now requires that all motorcycles have a muffler attached when used on both public and private lands. It defines a motorcycle as "every motor vehicle, including a motocross bike, having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designated to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, but excluding a tractor."

The law also makes it illegal to build a motorcycle racetrack on private property in any zoning district other than business, which would require a special-use permit.

Penalties for a first offense include a fine up to $250 and up to 15 days in jail. The motorcycle can be confiscated as a penalty for a second offense.
"This will not affect 99 percent of ATV and motorcycle use," said Councilman Nicholas Viscio. "We’re a residential area and we have to be considerate."
"If this went on," Supervisor Michael Hammond said of unregulated motorcycle noise, "we would be known as the weakest link in the Capital District."

Other business

In other business, the board;

— Voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with the Helderberg Ambulance Squad Inc., which will provide ambulance and first aid service for the town until Dec. 31;
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— Heard From Hammond that the request the town made in December for a crosswalk near the post office was denied but the state’s Department of Transportation will put up signs to warn drivers of pedestrian traffic in the area;
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— Voted unanimously to change the zoning ordinance to accommodate meteorological towers and home windmills; and
— — Heard from Linda Novello, who is concerned that her neighbor is dismantling and selling vehicles illegally. "Why hasn’t anything been done about it"" she asked the board, stating, "it’s a violation"; and
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— Heard from Hammond that a representative from the New York Energy Research and Development Authority will be at the town board’s next meeting on Aug. 8.