The Legislative Council moved a package of ordinance requests to its Ordinance Committee February 18. Those requests come from the Police Commission and the Board of Selectmen.

First Selectman Pat Llodra told her board the night before about the amendment to the local Firearms Ordinance, and another suggestion designed to prevent the littering of unsolicited mail and materials being left at residential properties.

Mrs Llodra said those requests were developed from requests from residents she processed while sorting through a backlog of materials that had been piling up on her desk for several weeks.

The first selectman said she would like to see the firearms ordinance amended to incorporate language similar to what can be found in Farmington. That provision restricts the possession or discharge of any firearm, fireworks or hunting implement on any open space property, school grounds, or town-owned property except where permitted during town sponsored or approved events.

That provision does permit firearms use in accordance with state law on open space property where hunting is permitted.

The so-called “Unsolicited Mail Ordinance” was also discussed by selectmen and Town Attorney David Grogins Tuesday evening. Mr Grogins said as he searched for similar directives and ordinances, he discovered a 2009 action that was successfully defended in a district court in Kentucky.

Based on that precedent, Mr Grogins told selectmen that Newtown could draft a resolution that prohibited a means of distribution, but could not prohibit the kinds of materials being distributed.

He said the method of delivery could be defined.

“It just can’t be tossed in a yard,” Mr Grogins said.

Mrs Llodra cautioned that such a stringent action “may be creating an environment where we’re controlling too much.”

According to local police commissioners, by reducing the number of false alarm responses, police would have more time to respond to actual problems, according to Police Commission members. According to police department statistics, during the 2013 calendar year, police received 1,374 burglar alarms, of which only two alarms reflected actual burglaries in progress.

In noting that more than 99 percent of the burglar alarms are false alarms, Police Commission Chairman Paul Mangiafico stressed that it is “a subject we can no longer afford to disregard.”

A revamped burglar alarm ordinance for Newtown would set certain standards and list the responsibilities of alarm system users and alarm companies, he said. Enacting and enforcing such an ordinance could result in the number of alarms received being decreased by two-thirds, he said.

Police Commission member Joel Faxon said that based on statistics, the town police department spends roughly $100,000 annually in terms of responding to false burglar alarms, calculated from the amount of time expended on such activity.

Ms Jacob said she expects the firearms request will be considered as an amendment to the town’s current ordinance, and will not be considered as a stand-alone proposal, like the other two suggestions.

Because of the focus on budget matters, the council chair said none of the ordinances will get any significant attention until after the 2015-16 spending proposal is passed by voters.