It’s a Sign
By Robin Vinci | Editor at November 13, 2023 | 6:30 pm | Print
Council to Review Election Day Signs
On Wednesday night the Common Council sent an amendment of ordinance 3-11 to allow political signs on public property on Election Day as well as approved school related signs on school property throughout the year, to the administration, finance and law committee.
“It’s a small amendment to a current ordinance that prohibits signs on public property. It will allow that on the day of elections political signs to be on public property,” said Democratic Alderman Carlo Carlozzi, who proposed the amendment. “School related groups can have signs on school property as long as it is permitted by the school board.”
At this time neither of those is allowed, but Carlozzi said schools presently do have such signs up for groups such as the Girls or Boy Scouts, Madrigals etc.
“They are not really permitted by ordinance,” said Carlozzi. “On Election Day some people have gotten into little arguments about signs on public property. It is not a big deal, but we want to keep it uniform across the board.”
The political signs will be allowed on public property during primaries, elections and special election days. The signs must, however, be beyond the 75 foot marker of the voting poll.
This includes telephone poles and any other areas signs can be posted.
According to the ordinance, any person responsible for any illegal postings will be liable for the cost incurred in the removal thereof and the department of public works, or its designee, is authorized to effect the collection of said cost.
The present ordinance says, “No person shall paint, mark or write on, or post or otherwise affix, any hand-bill or sign to or upon any public property, public right-of-way, park, sidewalk, crosswalk, curb, curbstone, street lamp post, hydrant, tree, shrub, tree stake or guard, railroad trestle, electric light or power or telephone or telegraph or trolley, wire pole, or wire appurtenance thereof or upon any fixture of the fire alarm or police telegraph system or upon any lighting system, public bridge, drinking fountain, street sign or traffic sign.”
Nothing shall apply to the installation of a metal plaque or plate or individual letters or figures in a sidewalk commemorating an historical, cultural, or artistic event, location or personality for which the department of public works has granted a written permit. The painting of house numbers upon curbs for purposes of identification is allowed.
These rules do not apply to public property.
During the meeting the Council also agreed to submit an application to the State of Connecticut requesting $250,000 for Transit oriented development planning and pre-development work around the three New Britain CTfastrak Station sites in accordance with the State’s Transit-Oriented Development Request for Applications; trade-in of three motorcycles and allocate funds in the drug investigation fund to appropriate six new motorcycles; enter into contract with LTC Construction Company, inc. for the Broad Street improvements and to amend the Code of Ordinances regarding the authority of the New Britain Commission on the Arts.
