CANTON — It is now legal to whistle in town and vex people.
At Thursday night’s town meeting in the Town Office meeting room, voters repealed that ordinance adopted on April 9, 1963.
Labeled “An Ordinance Promoting Public Peace, Safety and Health,” it banned whistling, vexing and a host of other things. It also contained a curfew that prohibited children age 16 and younger from being anywhere in town but home after 10 p.m. from June 1 to Sept. 1, and after 9 p.m. from Sept. 2 to May 31, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
“If you guys vote this down, we can whistle again, so everybody whistle after the vote,” Selectmen Chairman Donny Hutchins said.
Asked why it was being repealed, Jay police officer and Selectman Russell Adams said because county police will not enforce it.
Residents also repealed the skateboard ordinance, which was adopted in 1991, as “a knee-jerk reaction” to children skateboarding around the post office, Administrator Scotty Kilbreth said in February when the ordinance was discovered.
The skateboard ordinance attracted the most attention out of 29 other articles that 38 residents approved, mostly by a show of hands.
One resident asked why the ordinance was being repealed, since it restricted skateboarding activities in public areas, but allowed it in designated areas.
“I want as few ordinances as possible,” Hutchins said.
Selectman Malcolm Ray better matched his answer to the question asked. “Because it’s unclear how many places you can’t skateboard and it says the ordinance will be enforced by the constable, but we don’t have a skateboard constable.”
Voters were asked to adopt a winter parking ban ordinance, because selectmen couldn’t find any documentation that the town had previously adopted one.
“We need it to keep vehicles off the roads during snowplowing,” Hutchins said. People who park their vehicles on roadways, especially narrow streets, will have their vehicles towed at their expense during parking bans.
Residents approved it.
Town meeting voters approved a $1,354,648.30 municipal budget, which includes a county tax assessment of $43,258 and school assessment of $653,473. The budget includes the addition of $400 for Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice, which voters approved. Selectmen and the Budget Committee made no recommendation on funding that social service agency.
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