Southampton Village Board members approved a ban on the intentional release of balloons last Thursday, following in the footsteps of the Town of Southampton.
The approved legislation mirrors that which the Town Board approved in June, and makes it illegal for anyone to release balloons made of rubber, latex, nylon or any other material that can be filled with gases such as helium, hydrogen and nitrous oxide and sealed at the neck.
The only exceptions to the ban are balloons that are used for carrying scientific instruments for an experiment, hot air balloons or balloons that are released indoors.
Releasing balloons intentionally could result in stiff penalties, including a fine not exceeding $1,000, up to 15 days in jail, or both.
Village resident Randy Johnston said the ban was “putting a Band-Aid” on the issue and suggested the village look into banning the sale of balloons altogether.
Another village resident, Francis Adamczeski, said he has been pushing for a ban on balloons for years.
“Ban ’em,” he said. “Let’s take a step forward and maybe ban ’em all.”
Mayor Jesse Warren said it was important for the village to at least take the first step of banning the intentional release of balloons. He also said he would like to reach out to online retailers to see if they could stop selling balloons to residents in the area, and eventually, ban the sale of balloons.
Once the public hearing was closed, Mr. Warren ambitiously said he was ready to vote on the measure instead of leaving the record open for written comments.
He said if the town already passed a similar resolution, the village was “playing from behind.”
The resolution was put up for a vote right away, and the Village Board passed it unanimously.
Greg Wehner on Jul 16, 2019