City Council revamps leaf burning ban

The Northwood City Council continued to refine the proposed burning ordinance, with help from some public comment, at their regular meeting last Tuesday. They also discussed the safety and execution of a popular city service. Citizen comments prompted some changes to the burn ban ordinance and a restart to the process of passing the ordinance to include those changes. One of the primary issues brought up by citizens in attendance, and one that was of particular concern to council member Randy Severson, who voted against the first reading of the ordinance at the previous council meeting, was the areas of town that were to be exempt from the ordinance.

That included all of Fourth Street South and the west side of 10 th Street South, from Third Avenue South to Eighth Avenue South. One of the issues that have prevented council members from supporting an ordinance banning the burning of leaves in the past is the lack of a ready alternative. That changed after the city began using curbside leaf collecting machinery. The exemptions for those two areas of the city were put in because the city's leaf collecting equipment is not able to be used as those areas lack space along the road where leaves could be placed. The concern raised at the council meeting was that allowing those areas to burn, particularly the stretch along 10th Street South, could cause problems when other residents traveling into town see burning there and assume that they can burn too. As far as those areas having no alternative, Severson argued that they do, in that they can either collect leaves in the bags that the city crew picks up in the fall, and that they can take leaves to the city's compost pile. Another issued raised was that of the time limits put on recreational fires in the city. The ordinance limited the time people could have open fires from 10 a.m. to 12 midnight. It was suggested that people gathered around a fire at night would often like to stay up past the midnight deadline. It was also pointed out that the ordinance includes the right for a neighbor to contact police if the fire is a nuisance, and that if those gathered around a fire are being too disruptive, there are other ordinances in place to deal with those situations. Also at issue for those in attendance at the meeting was the section of the ordinance that required someone at least 18 years of age to be present at all times at a recreational fire. It was argued that there are many under the age of 18 who are responsible enough to handle fires. Boy Scouts were raised as an example due to the specific training in managing a camp fire that they receive. Four out of the five council members, the exception being Jane Bloomingdale, agreed to lower the age to 16. Bloomingdale believed that 18 years old was the appropriate age limit. The purpose of putting a burning ordinance in place was highlighted when another resident told the council that she and others she knew enjoyed burning leaves as something of an annual fall tradition and that they saw the ordinance as "government taking away another one of our freedoms." Mayor Bob Perry, who has been pushing for a burn ban for many years, restated the city's purpose behind the voluntary burn ban of past years, and of the ordinance being considered, saying that the council had heard from several residents who have medical conditions that keep them inside when the smoke of burning leafs upsets their conditions. That includes the family of a young girl who has appeared at several council meetings. That girl has been taken to the emergency room as a result of the smoke from burning leafs in the past. One city resident in attendance also asked about the possibility of holding a vote on whether or not the ordinance should be passed. The lack of city elections this year and the fact that any city resident is welcome to attend a council meeting to offer their opinion prevented the city from pursuing the cost of holding a special election on the issue. The council agreed to remove the recreational fire time constraints and reduce the age limit to 16. Those changes mean that the process of passing the ordinance will begin anew with a first reading to take place at the next regular council meeting on Tuesday, July 22. Another concern raised at the council meeting was the question of the health impact and the operation of the mosquito spray service in the city. Perry reassured the council members that the city employees operating the equipment had been properly trained in both how to safely use and most effectively use the equipment and chemicals. He also assured them that the chemicals had been approved as safe by both the State of Iowa and the Environmental Protection Agency.