FARMINGTON – A town official proposed Tuesday that the town not allow banners to be hung on town property. Other selectmen agreed with Chairman Mary Wright.

They tabled action on the proposal until their next meeting to allow community members to provide feedback.

The town currently maintains three locations for banners advertising community events: Water and Bridge streets, at the intersection of Farmington Falls Road and High Street, and at Philbrick Park in Farmington Falls.

Wright cited safety, appearance and free advertising for a beverage company that provides the banners as her concerns to eliminate the banners. She also noted that town secretary Linda Grant spends a lot of time coordinating space use at the sites.

“I don’t think any advertising should be done on town property,” Wright said. She added that the banners sometimes become tattered or break and are unsightly when entering the town. She also noted that people sometimes read the signs hung on two poles on an island on Water and Bridge streets and are distracted from the traffic light signal around the bend.

Selectman Charles Murray agreed with her. Town Manager Richard Davis said that from what he understood the town allowed the banners to be hung to have controlled space instead of having banners popping up all over the place.

A new resident, Jacob Jamison, said he also agreed with Wright and that the banners could infringe on constitutional rights if some groups are allowed to hang banners and others not.

Wright also noted that she didn’t see other towns allowing banners on town property.

Selectman Stephan Bunker said the only hesitation he had on prohibiting the banners is the benefit to those nonprofit groups that hang the banners to promote community activities.

Grant said that when groups aren’t allowed to use to spaces, they do find an alternate way to advertise their event.

After hearing more discussion, Bunker said the cleanest practice would be to say “no more banners on town property.”

[email protected]