CAVE CITY, Ky. — Cave City leaders agreed Monday night to amend a noise ordinance, aiming to strike a compromise between a local bar owner and a nearby resident.

Matt Stasel, owner of The Roxglass Bar, addressed the city council, explaining how his business has been negatively impacted by an ordinance that limits when and how loud noise can be. A recently passed ordinance prohibits noises louder than 65 decibels and cuts off all noise after 10 p.m.

Cave City previously had a longstanding noise ordinance that prohibited noise after 10 p.m. but did not set a specific decibel limit.

Resident Greg Hogan, who lives across the street from the bar, advocated for a more specific ordinance after months of complaints he made to Cave City Police, he said.

“This doesn't just affect me, really, it affects the whole city,” he said.

Hogan successfully pushed the city to adopt a specific decibel limit in its ordinance, but The Roxglass Bar continued to face challenges under the law.

Stasel asked councilmembers to revise the ordinance by allowing up to 75 decibels of noise on Fridays and Saturdays through 11 p.m. He then said he was willing to drop that to 70 decibels after concerns from Hogan at Monday's meeting.

“I'll do 70. Meet me in the middle. That's what I'm about,” Stasel said. “I think that's meeting half way between what it was, where we wanted to go. I think right there is right in the middle.”

Mayor Dwayne Hatcher said he understood that many people go out on Fridays and Saturdays and voiced support for the proposed changes.

“The city is growing. The city has changed,” Hatcher said.

Hogan thanked Stasel for installing insulation, which he said has helped since his original noise complaints. Stasel said he spent about $900 on the insulation.

Despite that, Hogan urged the council to keep the existing ordinance. He said he measured the sound in his living room during an evening when music was being played at the bar, and it reached 59 decibels, about the same as his TV.

“Nobody wants to listen to somebody else's TV three or four hours in a row,” Hogan said.

The ordinance specifies that noise cannot exceed 65 decibels as measured from Hogan’s property line.

“I think you're trying to work with the council, and the council definitely wants to work with you,” said Councilman Ronald Coffey. “We're all about growing this city and not trying to run it down. We just want people to be able to sleep.”

Councilman Andrew Bagshaw made a motion to amend the ordinance to allow up to 70 decibels of noise, measured from Hogan’s property line, through 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The measure passed 4-1, with Councilwoman Beverly Ford voting “no.”

The 65-decibel limit and 10 p.m. cutoff will remain in effect during the rest of the week, as reminder by Bobby Richardson, the city attorney.

“Just so you know, that doesn't apply until this ordinance is passed and published,” Richardson said. “You're still under the old law right now.”

The ordinance amendment must go through two readings before taking effect, meaning it will likely be June before the changes are implemented.

“I can probably live with it two nights a week,” Hogan said. “As far as I'm concerned, it should have been kept at 65 decibels.”