SKOWHEGAN — Residents at a special town meeting Tuesday night overwhelmingly approved a new ordinance making it easier for businesses to display changing digital and electronic messages on commercial or industrial signs. The measure passed without discussion at the meeting attended by about 16 residents plus town officials.

The ordinance, which takes effect immediately, is less restrictive than the state model ordinance for commercial electronic signs. It applies to all changeable message signs, regardless of whether they are already in place.

Newell Graf, chairman of the Skowhegan Board of Selectmen, said he voted against the sign ordinance.

“I’m not against the ordinance — it makes perfect sense — but the problem is making people come in to get a permit,” Graf said.

Graf added that the proposal should have been part of the annual Town Meeting in June, not a special town meeting following a selectmen’s meeting in October.

“That was my biggest concern. I’d have felt better about it if we had done it in June, when we’d have more people engaged,” he said.

The ordinance does not apply to signs placed in windows, sidewalk sandwich boards, and flags and banners that routinely are brought in at the end of the business day. It also will not apply to stationary political signs or signs that are in place for fewer than 60 days per year.

A permit will be required for each electronic or digital sign, but no fee will be charged for the permit.

Town Manager Christine Almand said much of the ordinance’s language was taken straight from the town’s site plan ordinance.

“We added the new language to address electronic and digital signs,” Almand said.

Almand said the reason for the ordinance is that if the town doesn’t have its own ordinance, signs fall under state law, and digital and electronic signs are permitted to change messages only every 20 minutes.

“The state law permits the town to develop an ordinance to allow less restrictive rules,” she said before the meeting. “We’re looking to make the rules regarding digital and electronic signs less restrictive than the state law allows.”

The new ordinance will allow businesses to change the message on their signs every 10 seconds, instead of every 20 minutes, Almand said.

Residents Tuesday night also voted to allow a runoff election Nov. 4 to choose an overseer of the poor. There are three candidates for one open seat: Deborah Jones, Jennifer Olsen and Gary York. The term is for three years.

Overseers of the poor are called to assemble only if an applicant appeals a decision on a request for general assistance.

Skowhegan voters also authorized the Board of Selectmen to accept $210,000 in state Community Development Block Grant funding for Maine Stitching Specialties LLC, which is buying the former Dirigo Stitching on Dane Avenue. The company is buying the Dirigo building and some of the stitching equipment from Dirigo owner Peter Schultz, of Rome, who is retiring.

The state Department of Economic and Community Development already has approved a letter of intent for the grant. If the grant itself is approved, Maine Stitching will have to match the grant money with an equal amount of its own, with no town money involved. The grant program also calls for a minimum of seven people to be employed by the company once the money is secured.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Doug_Harlow