SKOWHEGAN — Voters at a special town meeting Tuesday night will be asked to approve a new ordinance aimed at making it easier for businesses to display changing digital and electronic messages on commercial or industrial signs.

The special meeting, which also will include considering approval on the Nov. 4 ballot of write-in names for assessor of the poor and state grant money for a new stitching business, is set for 7 p.m., following the regular selectmen’s meeting at 5:30 p.m.

The proposed ordinance, which is less restrictive than the state model ordinance for commercial electronic signs, applies to all changeable message signs, regardless of whether they are already in place. The ordinance will not apply to signs placed in windows, sidewalk sandwich boards, flags or 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 there will not be a fee charged for the permit, Town Manager Christine Almand said.

“A lot of this language was pulled straight from our site plan ordinance, but we added the new language to address electronic and digital signs,” Almand said.

She 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 can change messages only every 20 minutes.

“The state law permits the town to develop an ordinance to allow less restrictive rules,” Almand said. “We’re looking to make the rules regarding digital and electronic signs less restrict that 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.

There are several such changeable signs in Skowhegan, including a new one in front of the Town Office building, on which the message changes every 20 minutes, as required by state law.

The sign ordinance was proposed last year by then-Town Manager John Doucette Jr., but selectmen declined even to discuss it. The plan was revisited recently when Selectman Donald Skillings, the previous chairman of the Planning Board, which wrote the ordinance, brought it back up for discussion.

The ordinance will go into effect immediately Tuesday night if voters approve it.

Also on the agenda for the special meeting is a vote to allow a runoff election on Nov. 4 to chose 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.

Residents on Tuesday night also will be asked to authorize 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

[email protected]

Twitter: @Doug_Harlow