Town of Mansfield, CT Article II Notification and Public Hearing

[Adopted 11-13-1992]

§ 143-6 Short title.

This Article shall be known and may be cited as the "Town of Mansfield's Notification and Public Hearing Ordinance."

§ 143-7 Applicable projects.

Unless notification and public hearings are already required under federal law or regulation, state law or regulation or other town ordinance or regulation, improvement projects for town or state roads and bridges, and for town parks, buildings and facilities costing more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.) or affecting more than five (5) separately owned parcels of land shall be subject to the notification procedures and public hearing requirements set forth herein.

§ 143-8 Exemptions.

Routine maintenance activities are exempt from these notification requirements. Examples of these activities include: road resurfacing, ditch cleaning, catch basin cleaning, roadside mowing, tree removal, roof replacement, painting, culvert replacement, small drainage system installation or repair, emergency repair work of any kind, grading dirt roads, the erection of signs and guideposts, crack sealing, road striping, screening sand and gravel, cleaning and repairing sewers, maintaining fire holes, mowing, baseball and soccer field maintenance. The final decision regarding exemptions in cases where a question exists shall be the responsibility of the Mansfield Town Council.

§ 143-9 Public hearings.

Public hearings will be held for all town or state facility improvement projects projected to cost more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.) or to affect more than five (5) separately owned parcels of land unless exempted by the provisions of § 143-8, or unless waived by a majority vote of Town Council. Said public hearings shall be held at the completion of preliminary design so that the final design can be modified to incorporate residents' concerns in so far as possible and practical.

§ 143-10 Notification.

A. Legal notice of the public hearing shall be published in a newspaper having general circulation in the Town of Mansfield at least ten (10) days prior to the public hearing.

B. Concurrent with the publishing of the legal notice, notification of the public hearing shall also be sent to other local newspapers and radio stations.

C. Notice of the public hearing shall be sent by first-class mail at least ten (10) days prior to the public hearing to the owner of each parcel of land within five hundred (500) feet of the actual proposed facility improvement. Said notice shall provide information on the proposed project, as well as the date, time and place of the public hearing.

§ 143-11 Soliciting public opinions; preliminary workshops.

Nothing in this Article shall preclude more informal ways of soliciting public opinions. Preliminary workshops to investigate various ideas and options prior to the start of the design process are encouraged whenever feasible.