Three Charter Proposals Are Heading For Hearings

By John Voket

The Legislative Council’s Ordinance Subcommittee moved several proposals and revisions on existing ordinances to the full council Wednesday evening to endorse public hearings. According to subcommittee chair Francis Pennarola, another ordinance proposing a graduating benefit for fire and ambulance volunteers that was considered will require more review before being sent to public hearing.

While the Ordinance Subcommittee members seemed to support an enhanced property tax benefit for volunteers in theory, Mr Pennarola said language and calculations in the proposal were very confusing, and he hoped upon further review to affect the same result with simpler language.

He expects to present the revised ordinance, entitled “Assessment Exemption for Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Personnel,” for consideration at the next subcommittee meeting.

According to the ordinance text submitted by Assessor Thomas DeNoto, members of at least three years’ good standing with the Newtown volunteer fire departments and the Ambulance Corps who reside in and pay property tax to the Town of Newtown as of October 1 preceding their application will be eligible for the graduating exemption.

The base benefit after the third year of qualified service will be a $350 deduction from the volunteer’s property tax assessment, graduating to a maximum of $1,000 after the seventh year of service. The benefit may continue as long as members maintain specific qualifications.

This proposal also provides for possible adjustments to the benefit amount, which must be approved by the council by May 1 of any benefit year.

In other business, a proposed ordinance creating a Culture and Arts Council was recommended to the full council later in the evening, and will go to a public hearing as written. The approval was a long time coming, having been submitted to the council in January.

Pending approval, the Cultural Arts Commission will work to “stimulate, facilitate, coordinate and cooperate with existing organizations for the development of the arts,” according to the ordinance text. The commission is intended to serve as an information center and focal point in the community for activities in the arts.

The ordinance draft stipulates the first selectman, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, will appoint nine members. Those individuals are expected to have a broad interest, understanding, and appreciation of cultural activities.

The terms of office shall be for three years. Initially three members will be appointed until January 7, 2007; three others will be appointed for two years and the remaining three for three years. All vacancies will be filled for the balance of their unexpired term by the first selectman, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen.

Among the duties and responsibilities of the formal commission, once approved and appointed, will be to create an initial survey of the cultural and artistic resources of the Town of Newtown, including but not limited to, a survey of the arts by each subject deemed to be of significance by the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission in carrying out its duties.

Following discussion on the Cultural Arts ordinance, subcommittee members entertained a suggested revision in the language to an existing ordinance providing a veteran’s tax benefit and moved the new version to the full council to schedule a public hearing. That ordinance, pending approval, would expand the benefit that currently allows a tax exemption on up to $10,000 in property, or ten percent of the total assessed value of one’s property, whichever is higher.

Finally, nearly a year after Fairfield Hills Authority members began discussing the issue, a new ordinance governing the control and cleanup responsibilities owners must exercise over their pets was considered. After some input from Fairfield Hills Authority members Moira Rodgers and Amy Dent, the subcommittee recommended the pet ordinance to be expanded from exclusively covering the town-owned Fairfield Hills campus to all town parks and public facilities.

Language in the proposal would mandate that dogs and cats must be maintained and controlled at all times by a leash when those animals are present in town parks or public facilities. Service dogs are exempt from the regulation.

The wording suggests that any other type of animal would be banned from display at any park or public area. The ordinance also maintains that any pet owner bringing his/her animal onto town property is responsible for the cleanup and disposal of any waste in an “environmentally sound manor.”

Pending the subcommittee’s approval of suggested language expanding the scope of coverage and the addition of an exception for dogs training off leash in obedience classes, Mr Pennarola said he expects to see that ordinance going to a public hearing in the next month or two.

If approved, violations would fetch graduating fines of $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second, and $99 for each occurrence thereafter.

While it was only briefly introduced in the subcommittee, Acting Chairman Timothy Holian told the full council the Board of Assessment Appeals is requesting an adjustment to its governing ordinance to expand its numbers effective next Election Day.

Mr Holian explained that the year following Newtown’s revaluation is expected to generate 200 to 300 or more appeals, versus the average of 50 to 100 that are heard in any typical year.