Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission reviews draft conservation‑violations ordinance and seeks enforcement clarity from select board
Summary
The commission examined a draft conservation‑violations ordinance that would allow administrative findings of violations on town‑managed land and discussed enforcement pathways—who issues notices, who collects fines, and whether the select board will designate enforcement agents.
Committee member (S3) introduced a draft violations ordinance intended to give the conservation commission authority to detect and report violations on town‑managed conservation lands and to recommend fines. Members discussed who would enforce penalties and collect fines, with multiple participants noting that enforcement typically rests with the select board or designated enforcement officers rather than the commission alone.
"This ordinance is enforced full through design rules that funded by the select board of the town of Proline and through police and law enforcement officers, including... fish and game, state police, and sheriff's son," a participant read from the draft. Commissioners clarified that the commission can monitor and report violations but that the select board would likely pursue formal enforcement and legal remedies, including restitution, legal costs and, if necessary, liens on property.
The draft contemplates a fine schedule (transcript references a fine "up to $1,000") and administrative processes for notice, appeals and remediation; commissioners requested clearer process language for who issues notices, who carries out enforcement visits, and who receives fine payments. The group agreed to continue refining the draft and to return with more process‑oriented language at the August meeting.
