Historic District Commission seeks ordinance and bylaw updates; council to route request to legal and staff workshop

The Town Council discussed a request from the Historic District Commission on June 24 to update bylaws and clarify procedural language that commission members say conflicts with modern building and fire code requirements.

Dan Boyle, chair of the historic district commission, told the council the commission has not completed a bylaw review in many years and seeks a clearer charge and guidance so it does not enact recommendations that conflict with the comprehensive plan or other ordinances. The commission asked that staff and council help narrow ambiguous language and align the commission’s rules with current codes.

The commission also asked to change its regular meeting time from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the first Monday of the month; council members asked legal whether a formal ordinance change would be required and whether the council could instead adopt a shorter, more flexible approach to set a meeting time without amending the ordinance. The council agreed to route the request to the town’s legal counsel for an opinion about the proper process and whether a simple administrative change or a formal ordinance amendment is necessary.

Councilors and staff agreed to arrange a workshop—including planning, code enforcement and fire staff—with the Historic District Commission to craft draft language that avoids contradictions with building and fire codes, clarifies definitions and gives the commission a clear scope and procedural checklist. Any ordinance or bylaw changes would follow the normal public‑hearing and adoption process.

The council did not adopt ordinance language at the meeting; staff committed to obtain legal guidance and coordinate the workshop with the commission.