Ordinance review committee delivers multi-year recommendations, urges sign ordinance update

A special Ordinance Review Committee (three councilors and two public members) presented its final report to the council on March 5, listing recommended ordinance rescissions, revisions and items for further study.

Councilors who chaired the committee described a work program that included: (1) sign ordinance revisions to ensure content neutrality following recent Supreme Court decisions; (2) a new requirement for abutting property owners to keep sidewalks clear of obstructive vegetation; (3) a recommended phased ban on gas-powered leaf blowers for city and private property; and (4) rescission of antiquated and discriminatory provisions such as the city's "obscene and profane language" ordinance and an old hawkers-and-peddlers provision.

Councilor Dobbs said the committee received public input across multiple forums and worked with the City Solicitor and planning staff on language. "The sign ordinance is unconstitutional in its current form," City Solicitor Seawold told the council, urging prompt action to adopt the prepared revisions. Former councilor Stan Moulton and committee members emphasized housekeeping measures that are effectively "shovel-ready" and could be bundled for a quicker council vote.

The report placed several items in the "further study" category, including food-truck regulation, special liquor licenses in public areas, expanded notice for zoning map changes, temporary pedestrian access route planning around sidewalk-blocking work, and pesticide-notification rules for areas where unsheltered people may sleep.

Councilors asked for a process to prioritize "shovel-ready" housekeeping items and for staff and the solicitor to assist with drafting orders for the next meeting. No ordinance votes were taken that night; committee recommendations can be introduced at future meetings or referred to the appropriate council committees for drafting and public hearings.

What's next: Councilors asked committee cochairs to return with a prioritized list of housekeeping items and for staff to prepare draft orders, with the sign ordinance identified as an immediate priority for referral to legislative matters and the planning board.