A long-debated plan to regulate pesticide use in Portland heads to a public hearing, but city councilors will likely postpone action and continue the debate because of more than a half-dozen proposed amendments.
Mayor Ethan Strimling said that he will support putting off action on the ordinance and amendments until the next council meeting to give people, including a newly elected councilor, time to digest the proposal and all the proposed changes.
“I am ready to vote on the bill and amendments,” Strimling said. “But I am fine with giving folks a little more time if they need it.”
The ordinance recommended in October by the council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee differs drastically from the one drafted by a task force appointed by Strimling. It’s aligned more closely with an ordinance adopted by South Portland in August 2016, which prioritizes organic lawn care, emphasizes public education and empowers a committee—not the city manager—to grant waivers for synthetic pesticides.
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