Kent selectmen propose several new ordinances

KENT — The Board of Selectmen kept busy during its Sept. 3 regular meeting planning a slew of ordinances meant to address a number of municipal issues that have arisen in recent months.

“Our board is going to have a new record of the most ordinances in a two-year period!” exclaimed Selectman Lynn Mellis Worthington to laughs from the other two selectmen.

Restriction of commercial bus travel

The first proposed ordinance to be discussed concerns the restriction of tour buses on small town roadways that feed into South Kent Road.

The action is the town’s effort to uphold an agreement with New Milford and the state Department of Transportation to limit bus traffic on South Kent Road in response to outcry from concerned residents about large vehicles using the roadway, endangering pedestrians and dog walkers.

Much of the traffic was due to tour buses bringing guests to the popular camp and recreation center Club Getaway that is positioned just below the intersection of South Kent Road with Route 341.

Earlier this summer, First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer and New Milford mayor Pete Bass agreed to find a solution to the problem, which had been difficult due to regulatory confusion given that some roads are owned by Kent, some by New Milford, and some by the state.

This ordinance, which is operating under the title “Section 17-11: Restriction of Commercial Bus Travel,” would ban tour buses from using the town-owned Bulls Bridge Road and Spooner Hill Road, two ways to access South Kent Road from the south and west.

School buses, and vehicles operating in regard to school operations such as sports and events, are exempt from the ban.

The penalty for disobeying the ban is a state trooper citation and $250 fine per infraction.

The BOS motioned to send the ordinance to public hearing.

Economic development

Next to be discussed was a proposed economic development ordinance to instate a new Economic Development Committee after the disbanding of the Economic Development Subcommittee at the Aug. 6 BOS meeting. At that meeting, selectman Glenn Sanchez presented a mission statement for the proposed committee.

Lindenmayer stated a full draft wasn’t ready for review at the time of the Sept. 3 meeting, and so the issue was tabled.

Regulation of cannabis

The collaborative effort between the BOS and Planning and Zoning Commission has produced an ordinance draft that will finally be sent to public hearing as the six-month extension of the initial six-month moratorium on the sale of cannabis passes its halfway point.

Named “Section 11-16: Regulation of Cannabis Ordinance,” the brief regulation would ban any recreational cannabis dispensaries in town but allow legally defined medical product sale on the basis of approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

The agricultural aspect of the cannabis and hemp industry will be handled separately by P&Z.

Mellis Worthington initially balked at the simplicity and concision of the ordinance, but P&Z member Sarah Chase, who helms the Cannabis Regulation Subcommittee, assured that the language is adequate. It follows the regulatory precedent and terminology set by other towns and the state, she said: “The state’s already done the work to define all this already; you’re just inserting the language.”

“There is no sense of us reinventing the wheel on this one,” she added.

After the discussion, the selectmen moved the ordinance to public hearing.

Stuff in the road

Next, the discussion turned to “Section 17-10: Placement of Material in Public Right of Way,” otherwise known as the “Stuff in the Road Ordinance,” as Lindenmayer put it. The ordinance was proposed to the BOS at its Aug. 6 meeting by town highway foreman Rick Osborne using an existing rule in Warren as a template.

“I can’t believe we haven’t had this,” said Mellis Worthington with a chuckle.

Violators would be charged $100 per offence, which could be leaving snow, grass or any other sort of debris in the roadway. Lindenmayer noted that the penalty could be higher, but that would miss the point: “We’re not really looking to fine people as much as to change their attitude.”

The Board voted to move the draft ordinance to public hearing.

Fire Lanes

Town Fire Marshall Tim Limbos chimed in towards the meeting’s end to let the Board know that he will be drafting an ordinance that regulates the enforcement of the town’s fire lanes.

He said that there is no broader state statute for their enforcement, but that it is up to municipalities to install their own ordinances to that end.

As of Sept. 8, no hearing dates have been set for all the ordinances that were moved to that stage.

Each ordinance must undergo a public hearing before it can be brought to town meeting for a vote.