Warrant Article Title:
BYLAW AMENDMENT/DISPLAY OF NOTICE FINES

Warrant Article Text:
To see if the Town will vote to amend the Town Bylaws, Title V, Article 1 Section 2 to reduce fines for violations greater than twenty days from $500 to $300 in accordance with state law; or take any action related thereto.

Requested by:
(Inserted at the request of the Town Manager)

Report Excerpt:
The proposed changes constitute administrative corrections to the amount of fines allowed under Title V, Article I (“Display of Notices”), Section 2 of the Town Bylaws following 2019 Town Meeting’s successful updates to Arlington signage regulations. A side effect of moving most signage regulation into the Zoning Bylaw is that the Town Bylaws’ regulation of temporary of “Notices,” such as lost-pet, yard sale, and 10 Town committee temporary flyers and signs are no longer tethered to state laws governing outdoor advertising, which authorized higher levels of fines that state law affords for Bylaw violations. Accordingly, the Town’s fine for violations of the Display of Notices Bylaw cannot now exceed $300. Therefore, the Select Board recommends Town Meeting adopt this administrative change to accurately reflect the maximum cap on Bylaw fines under the law.

Vote Language:

That Title V, Article I (“Display of Notices”), Section 2. Fines for Violations be and hereby is amended by striking the word and number “five” and “500”respectively and replacing them with the words “three,” and “300” respectively so as to read as follows as follows: 

 

ARTICLE 1

DISPLAY OF NOTICES

 

Section 2. Fines for Violations

Whoever violates any of the provisions of this By-Law shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100), and whoever, after conviction for such violation unlawfully maintains such notice for twenty (20) days thereafter shall be punished by a fine of not more than five three hundred dollars ($500300).

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