Jersey Village City Council members discussed the city's current herbicide usage and guidelines, but took no action to change the current methods of use during a Sept. 15 regular meeting.
The big picture
Council member Brian McCauley originally requested that an agenda item regarding the city's use of herbicide and pesticides in city parks be added to the July regular meeting agenda following resident concerns about potential exposure to the treatments.
According to meeting documents, City staff provided existing staff guidelines pertaining to herbicide applications including:
Use of chemical treatments only when mechanical methods are not practical or effective
Applicants must follow EPA-approved product labels
Application in high-use areas is scheduled during low-traffic times
Required documentation throughout the application process
Council member Simon Hughes said he would like the city to examine the financial cost of eliminating pesticide usage and solely using mechanical methods, such as mowing and hand-pulling. City Manager Austin Bleess said mechanical methods are labor intensive, and fully switching over is not feasible with current city staffing levels.
“If we're fully staffed and we have more time to do it, we will lean toward the mechanical means, but when we don’t have the staff, we need to make sure we are being the most efficient with our time that we can be,” Bleess said.
McCauley suggested only utilizing mechanical methods in the dog park. Council member Greg Holden said, in his own research, he was unable to find data to support completely discontinuing the use of chemical treatments.
Also of note
Jersey Village City Council members unanimously approved budget amendments to the fiscal year 2025-26 budget with $2.9 million in revenues and $2.1 million in expenditures.
According to the Sept. 15 Council Action Report, council members appointed residents who previously submitted applications to various boards and commissions:
Planning and Zoning Committee
Capital Improvements Advisory Committee
Board of Adjustment
Building Board of Adjustment and Appeals
Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee
Golf Course Advisory Committee
Jersey Village City Council is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. on Oct. 27 in the Civic Center Auditorium at 16327 Lakeview Drive, Jersey Village, for a regular meeting.
