Date: Fri 11-Apr-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

council-ordinance-Brimmer

Full Text:

Council Ordinance Panel Elects Brimmer As Chairman

GENNEWS

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

The Ordinance Committee of the Legislative Council met Wednesday for the first

time in several months, and one of its first orders of business was to elect

Bill Brimmer as its new chairman.

Mr Brimmer, in his first term on the council, takes over for Pierre Rochman,

who was elected chairman of the full council last month.

The Ordinance Committee has completed the framework of its proposed scenic

road ordinance and expects it to be in place in two weeks. Using a proposed

draft that committee member John Kortze modeled from various towns around the

state, the committee created a foundation on which to create the town's own

scenic road ordinance.

Criteria for scenic road designation includes roads with mature trees, stone

walls, scenic views, surrounding lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

Land owners must submit a petition in order to request that a road be

considered for scenic designation. The Legislative Council would have the

final say on what roads are to be considered scenic.

All repairs and maintenance of scenic roads would be done by the town.

The creation of a scenic road ordinance was initiated by Echo Valley Road

resident Mae Schmidle, who felt Newtown needed an ordinance for the

preservation and public safety of its scenic back roads.

Anti-Litter

The ordinance committee has also begun consideration of an anti-litter

ordinance in an effort to halt illegal dumping in town. The ordinance was

requested by residents living in and around New Lebbon Road, which is often

littered with old couches, toilets, oven ranges, and various other garbage.

The residents believe the state's current punishment/fine of $110 is not

enough of a deterrent. They are hoping for a local ordinance with penalties

going as high as $500.

If fines are set, the committee said it must determine how it will go about

collecting fines that go unpaid. The state recently passed a law giving towns

the right to put liens on the homes of non-payers in certain situations.

Also, Mr Brimmer's committee will need to determine the different levels of

littering and whether fines will be adjusted to fit the magnitude of the

offense.

The committee's newest member, William Rodgers, will write a draft ordinance,

modeled on other towns in the state that currently have anti-litter ordinances

in place.

Any further discussion on an ordinance that would regulate underground oil

tanks has been put on hold, according to Mr Brimmer. The committee wants to

first find out if banks are asking for tanks to be taken out in order to give

mortgages.

The committee is expected to meet again in May.