The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Kelly: Residents anticipate new ordinances
Changes aimed at blight and noise complaints
WINSTED — Residents are interested in the town’s proposed changes to blight ordinances and are anxious to see them put into place, according to Town Manager Josh Kelly.
But the Board of Selectmen, which this week held a public hearing on the proposed changes to ordinances governing blight and noise, also wants to make sure there is a full understanding of the impact the changes would make on the public.
Members decided not to vote on the changes this week, and instead held several discussions to understand that impact. The board plans to vote at its next meeting Sept. 20.
“I want to be sure the board is comfortable with the amount of time we’re giving ourselves to approve these,” said Mayor Candy Perez. “Usually, there’s a two-week period between the hearing and the adoption of the changes, and between that, we post them to our website. So we can move this along or wait.”
Kelly said residents are interested in the ordinances, especially for blight. Blight complaints are made by neighbors or concerned citizens, and Winsted’s blight official is responsible for investigating them.
“I have talked with a number of residents about the noise and blight ordinances, and a lot of people were in favor of them,” said Kelly. “They wanted to know, basically, how soon the blight ordinance would be enacted.”
A new blight officer and additional notification to property owners have been added, as well as clarity on violations and filing a complaint. Town attorney Kevin Nelligan wrote the changes, Kelly said.
The noise ordinance changes are intended to help police
enforce laws regarding highdecibel, repetitive sounds, as well as nuisance noise from a gathering, for example. To enforce a noise ordinance, Kelly said, it first must be reviewed and approved by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Without DEEP approval, any enforcement ticket would be thrown out of court.
Other types of noise were also discussed. Kelly said that existing businesses that create noise for long periods of time, such as manufacturing companies, can apply for a variance from the Police Department. If someone were to file a complaint, it would also be up to the Police Department to enforce the ordinance. “That’s not a reasonable burden to be placed on a business, so we have several options to consider,” Kelly said.
Selectmen, Kelly said, can add a subsection to the ordinance for existing businesses, and adjust the times for a noise violation.
“So businesses operating from 8 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. or even a little later, have the opportunity to make noise during the day, and get a little leeway,” Kelly said. “You can change the decibel levels in the ordinance to allow for that type of noise.”
Kelly also said the ordinance could be changed to say that all businesses in existence will be automatically grandfathered in with a variance. If the business were to relocate to another part of town or is sold to a new owner, they would have to apply for a new variance.
“Or, you can do nothing, and let the variance process run its course,” Kelly said.
Perez was concerned about the idea of “grandfathering. “It works if you know what came before it,” she said. “Sometimes it gets a little dicey. So do we need that noise defined? People don’t want noise in the middle of the night when they’re sleeping or getting the kids to bed. Is this the language we want?”
The board asked Kelly to add the definition of grandfathering into the ordinance, to be discussed at its next meeting.