Ban On Using Glyphosate On City Owned Property Tabled

OSWEGO, NY – At its meeting Monday night, the Planning and Development Committee curtailed discussion regarding a proposed local law.

Assistant City Attorney Tom Reynolds, on behalf of Councilor John Gosek, requested discussion regarding a proposed local law regarding the restriction of the use of herbicides that contain glyphosate on city owned property.

The purpose of the law is to protect the public health, Reynolds explained. The council would still have the option to use herbicides, he added.

Gosek thanked Reynolds for his hard work on preparing the proposal. He also acknowledged Scriba resident Sue Matthews for her input. He commended the mayor and DPW commissioner for choosing not to use herbicides this year.

The issue is controversial, he acquiesced. The last time the city voted to use herbicides, he voted ‘no’ and there was a groundswell of opposition with more than 100 residents signing a petition against the spraying as well, he added.

In the spring of 2016, the council approved $12,000 for weed control at Wright’s Landing, City Hall, East Linear Park, DPW Garage, east and west side fire stations, Legends Fields and all city parks. The contract was awarded to Chase Enterprises for the 2016 season.

“I’m trying to be progressive here and move the city in the right direction,” Gosek said Monday night. “My priority is public safety.”

The proposed law defines what herbicide and weeds are.

According to the proposed law, the application of any herbicides in and around any city owned properties by employees, agents or contractors of the city is hereby prohibited. The specific areas include city parks and ball fields; the city RiverWalk; the lawn around City Hall and the Conway Municipal Center; city hockey and ice skating rinks; the city pool; the city recreation center; and the Arts Center at Fort Ontario.

The Common Council would be able to grant permission for single applications of herbicides in specified areas, for instance in cases where weeds may cause danger and severe impairment of public health or safety and that such danger or impairment outweighs the potential risk of harm to public health that the application of the herbicide may pose.

However, the other two members of the committee didn’t agree with Gosek’s proposal, and even though it was just a discussion, voted to table the matter.

Councilor Robert Corradino agreed that this was “a sensitive topic.”

He said he didn’t disagree about the potential dangers of the chemical, but wanted more information from the DPW commissioner regarding how the department would handle eradication of weeds on city properties.

The commissioner wasn’t present at the committee.

“We need to get all the parties together and come up with a common sense solution,” he said. “We need to come up with a responsible way of handling weeds in the city of Oswego. I don’t feel we need a new law.”

Committee chair Nate Emmons agreed, saying he wasn’t comfortable voting on the proposal until he had more information.

“We need to have further discourse on this,” he said. “We need to have all the facts before voting on this. If I had to vote on this tonight, I’d vote ‘no.’”

The discussion was “very one-sided,” he said.

Gosek took umbrage that the majority of department heads weren’t in attendance at the committee. They should be there for when situations like this occur, he said.

Corradino said he’d rather see the DPW attend to other tasks around the city.

“I’d rather see a weed or two rather than expose children to poison,” Gosek said.

Phil MacArthur of the Oswego Tree Stewards said that once you spray this chemical, it stays there and nobody knows the full consequences. There has been a study, but that was done by Monsanto, the maker of the herbicide Roundup, he explained.

“We need this (local law),” he told the committee. “We’ve got to get this (glyphosate ) out of Oswego.”

Gosek agreed, saying city residents shouldn’t be exposed to something that could be cancer-causing.

June MacArthur of the Oswego Tree Stewards brought up the concern of liability if the city continues to ignore the problem and someone becomes ill because of it.

“This hazard is very well documented. It doesn’t go away,” Phil MacArthur added.

After a nearly half hour debate and brief conference between Gosek and Council President Eric VanBuren, Corradino and Emmons voted to table; Gosek voted no.

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