KENT, Conn.—The Selectmen decided the evening of Wednesday, July 2, to reopen the suspended Friday, June 27, town meeting on Friday, July 11, but also moved to remove the item concerning a wake boat ban on Lake Waramaug from the meeting’s call and to take it to a separate Thursday, July 31, referendum.
Last week’s town meeting was suspended when an unexpectedly large number of people showed up to vote on the ban, exceeding the legal capacity of the town hall assembly room. “It was wonderful that people came out,” said First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer, “but there was no way we could do it.”
With a lower turnout anticipated for action on the three remaining ordinances relating to the fire marshal, the July 11 meeting is again scheduled for town hall at 7 p.m. The July 31 referendum vote will also take place at town hall from noon to 8 p.m.
Lindenmayer explained to his board that he had conferred with town counsel and had determined that it is legal to sever the boating ban from the original town meeting call and to take it to referendum.
Lindenmayer said he will ask for a reduced number of persons to staff the referendum, which will help to keep the cost down. Registrar of Voters Therese Duncan could not give a figure for what such a session might cost.
Lindenmayer also conferred with the Warren and Washington selectmen, neighboring towns that have shoreline surrounding the lake, and all the communities will take the issue to voters on the same day. All three towns will use precisely the same language for the ordinance.
“The towns feel we should do the vote on the same date. All the language must be consistent and the process consistent,” he reported, saying that the final language for the ordinance would be decided Thursday, July 31.
There will be no further public discussion of the lake ordinance in Kent. Lindenmayer said Kent is ahead of its neighbors in that it has held its public hearing, while Warren and Washington have not. Those towns are reportedly looking at Thursday, July 17, for public hearings.
“We were pretty aggressive [about scheduling our public hearing] because we wanted to give people a chance to speak,” Lindenmayer said. “We had a lively but respectful discussion.”
With the referendum slated for July 31, there will be plenty of time for the town to warn it and to obtain absentee ballots. Absentee ballots should be available at Town Hall after Monday, July 14.
Those eligible to vote at a town meeting are individuals who are registered to vote in the specific town or property owners who are at least 18 years old and who are “jointly or individually” liable to the town for taxes on a property assessed at least $1,000, based on the last Grand List, including non-resident property owners. Those who would be liable for the tax but are exempted can still vote.
Lindemayer had a brusque conversation with one individual following last Friday’s meeting who felt he had the right to vote in the town meeting because he is trustee of land in the town. Lindenmayer explained that voting in Connecticut town meetings is primarily for registered voters or qualifying property owners, not for the corporations or trusts that may own property within the town.
The ordinance, which has been discussed for years, was recently endorsed by the Lake Warmaug Authority and the Kent Selectmen scheduled a public hearing and a town meeting.
At issue is the potential for environmental damage to the lake from the large wakes created by the boats for the pleasure of surfers. Neighboring landowners cite damage to their shorelines, seawalls and docks, while the Lake Waramaug Authority and the Lake Waramaug Task Force fear deeper damage to the lake from the disturbance of the water’s stratification by the downwash from the propellers.
Waramaug was a deeply distressed lake by the 1970s and has been rescued from eutrophication by a sophisticated aeration system that keep nutrient-heavy water at the bottom while aerating the upper reaches of the lake. It is feared that the propwash will moil those layers, allowing phosphorous to be released to stimulate algae blooms.
The ordinance would prohibit wake boats from using ballast tanks or other wave enhancing devices.
Others are concerned about the safety of other lake users, who access it in smaller vessels or who swim.
The issue is hotly contested with advocates of the sport asserting that there is no definitive science about potential environmental damage. They suggest a buffer zone for other, quieter lake uses to prevent accidents. A social media and sign campaign was launched last week in advance of the town meeting suggesting that banning wake boats could lead to a total ban of motor-powered watercraft.
Selectman Lynn Mellis Worthington expressed a desire to again share information about the effect of wake boating on the lake. “I don’t see how people can twist the environmental stuff around,” she said.
“I’ve tried to keep my opinion out of it,” said Lindenmayer. “I understand that people want to enjoy a boat of a certain size and an activity they enjoy but looking at the environment and the structure of the lake, I just don’t think it’s the right purpose for that lake and the general population overall.
July 11 Town Meeting
The items that remain on the call for the July 11 town meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. in Town Hall are:
+ Shall the Town repeal and replace the Regulation to Open Burn;
+ Shall the Town repeal and replace the ordinance “Regulation of Fire Alarm System, and,
+ Shall the Town repeal and replace the ordinance “Fire Protection.”
The ordinances available for review in the Town Clerk’s office during regular Town Hall business hours (Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m. to noon) and online.
