Council Panel Begins Work On Ordinances

By Steve Bigham

The Legislative Council’s ordinance subcommittee met this past Saturday to begin what should be a very busy spring and summer of ordinance work. At its meeting, the committee, headed by Will Rogers, reviewed several existing town ordinances that may require work, took a second look at past proposed ordinances still to be considered, and studied newly proposed ordinances.

“We’ve got a full docket of pending ordinances on the table right now,” noted Mr Rodgers.

Topping the list is a trio of proposed tax abatements that some town officials are trying to get passed before this year’s tax bills go out in July.

“Just the tax abatements alone are equivalent to the amount of work normally done by this committee during a full council’s terms. But we’re going to bang those out within the next quarter and then we will consider other ordinances,” Mr Rodgers said.

The proposed tax relief plan for the elderly would provide seniors with a financial break on their taxes. Under one plan, only those elderly residents who meet a certain income requirement would be eligible. However, a second proposed plan calls for all Newtown seniors to receive a tax break.

The ordinance committee will also review a proposed tax abatement for vehicles equipped for the disabled. An enabling state statute allows towns to pass laws that do not require residents to pay additional taxes for any extra handicapped-accessibility equipment added to their vehicles.

The committee will also consider passing a tax abatement plan for Newtown volunteer ambulance and fire personnel. The Board of Selectmen last year created a board to propose a schedule of tax credits for these Newtown residents. The committee will act on those recommendations, Mr Rodgers said.

The committee also discussed whether or not to make any changes to existing ordinances such as littering, no thru trucks, alarms, and noise. The group agreed to consider revising the litter ordinance to provide for an appeals procedure. There was also a consensus among members that the litter ordinance be made stronger, with stiffer fines for any violations.

The committee agreed to repeal the town’s current ordinance on “no thru truck” signs since the state is the sole authority on this issue. It was also in agreement that nothing be changed regarding the town’s alarm ordinance.

As for the proposed noise ordinance, the committee felt the sheer volume of the noise was not the source of residential complaints. Instead, the complaints usually were based on the time of day the noise occurred. The consensus of the committee was that this proposed ordinance needed further work.

The committee will also take a closer look at a proposed ordinance that would help regulate or prohibit adult establishments (such as porn shops) in Newtown. This proposal sprung up two years ago after a similar shop was established along Route 25 in Monroe.

The ordinance committee also agreed to take a closer look at proposed ordinances for parking and illegal signs, while it was decided that a land trust ordinance will not be considered at this time.

The full council must approve all ordinance committee recommendations.