WILTON — The Board of Selectpersons got its first look Tuesday evening, Feb. 4, at a draft amendment to the Zoning Ordinance which would add a section governing Energy and Transportation Conduit lines.

“The Planning Board renamed this draft from what we had been calling elective electrical transmission corridors,” Code Enforcement Officer Charlie Lavin said.

According to the draft ordinance, an Energy/Transportation Conduit line is “an energy, commodity or transportation conduit that traverses through the town that does not directly provide the items being conducted … to any local establishment.”

It applies to any conduit above or below ground.

“I just want to give Charlie credit,” said Selectperson Tom Saviello. “One of the things he picked up on is this is more than an electric corridor. This could be anything. It could be a pipeline, it could be a train, it could be anything. That was a good catch.”

A train fits into the same category as an eclectic corridor or a pipeline as long a station was not located in the town, Lavin said.

“If there were a station here, then it would be serving Wilton and that would be a different story,” he added.

The proposal covers regulations pertaining to site requirements, prohibited locations, public health and safety and decommissioning.

On Oct. 1, voters enacted a 180-day moratorium that deferred new elective electrical transmission corridor applications. The moratorium gave the planning board time to look at developing regulations for such projects.

The moratorium expires on March 29 but can be extended by the select board.

“It does not require a special town meeting to extend the moratorium,” Irish said.

Selectpersons will move forward with setting a timeline to consider the proposed ordinance at a mid-April special town meeting. A public hearing will take place in early March.

One-hundred voters are required to turn out to consider the changes at a special town meeting, Town Manager Rhonda Irish said.

It costs approximately $125 to call such a meeting, Irish said. The cost includes a moderator and required advertising.

In other matters, Lavin announced Planning Board members Cherieann Harrison and Janice Sabin had submitted their resignations. Selectpersons voted unanimously to appoint alternate members Everett O’Neill and Gwen Doak to fill the empty seats.

Lavin reported over the course of 2019 there were 100 permits issued, generating income of just under $2,500. Permits included new residences and mobile homes, garages and sheds, commercial farm buildings, and expansions and additions.

The Planning Board approved 11 business use permit applications, he said.

Lavin also stated he was utilizing a log to keep track of code enforcement issues and complaints.

“We’ve been using it to track things like property maintenance issues and excessive vehicles,” he said. “It is a good way to track when I’ve gone to the property, when I made contact and when somebody has written a letter.”

The planning board has started working on updates to the Comprehensive Plan, he said. It is also drafting a recreational and medical marijuana fee schedule, which is expected to be presented to voters at the June town meeting.

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