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Date: 9/7/2021
SOUTHAMPTON – The Southampton By-law Review Advisory Committee is asking all Southampton residents to review and comment on three different draft bylaws that the town hopes to include for the future.
The first draft bylaw consists of soliciting and canvassing. This article states that no one can engage in soliciting or canvassing “without registering and obtaining a permit from the chief of police or Designee not less than 10 business days before commencing such solicitation or canvassing in accordance with this bylaw.”
The purpose of this bylaw would be to require a permit for people intending to participate in door-to-door activities that include selling or seeking, regarding specific services.
The second draft bylaw seeks to preserve and promote the health, safety, welfare, peace and quiet of the citizens of Southampton through reduction, control and prevention of loud and excessive noise, or any noise that disturbs the comfort of Southampton residents. According to the draft bylaw, excessive noise would be prohibited in Southampton between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
The third draft bylaw, meanwhile, involves updating protocol on building numbering in public and private sectors. The draft bylaw states that every building, including but not limited to single and multiple family dwellings, apartment buildings, condominiums, municipal buildings and all types of business establishments should have a number representing the address of the building.
All of these bylaws are posted on the homepage of the town website. Detailed descriptions of these laws are found within the draft bylaw links, as well.
"The goal by posting them is to provide the people with advanced and sufficient access to the draft documents in order to gather comments before finalizing the text,” said Select Board Vice Chair Francine Tishman, during the Aug. 31 Select Board meeting. “Your comments are important to ensuring that the residents are given the opportunity to provide feedback.”
After residents review the draft bylaws, they are being asked to email their comments to bylawreview@townofsouthampton.org by Sept. 10. Citizens also have the option of participating in a public discussion of the proposed bylaws at a meeting scheduled to be conducted on Sep. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Hall first floor meeting room. Residents are encouraged to provide their comments during this meeting, and all of the emailed comments will be made public during this time.
The next step after the public meeting is to vote on the final version of the bylaws at a Special or Annual Town Meeting before submitting them to the Attorney General for final approval. The next By-Law Review Advisory Committee meeting will be conducted on Sep. 15 at 10:30 a.m. in the first floor meeting room at Town Hall.
According to Christine Fowles, the Select Board clerk, the nuisance/peace and quiet draft by-law is a fairly new by-law, while the soliciting law and building numbering law are being expanded.
“What we have as a current bylaw is very minimal,” said Fowles, regarding those latter two laws. “This is an expanded version of it.”