Council amends, adopts bill updating maintenance-of-streams language; removes lakes/ponds inclusion

The City Council amended and adopted Bill 52 (FD1) on third reading Wednesday to update the city code regarding the maintenance of streams and other bodies of water.

Sponsor Council Member Perdaro moved an FD1 hand-carried amendment that deleted a section changing the definition of “stream” to include certain lakes and ponds. The amendment clarified that lakes and ponds listed in the bill are only included or excluded where applicable and made technical edits. Council members said the change was appropriate because the city does not own or manage the named lakes and ponds in question.

Why it matters: The measure addresses city maintenance responsibilities for streams and other bodies of water and was edited to avoid inadvertently expanding city obligations to features outside municipal jurisdiction. The FD1 change, the sponsor said, removed language referring to "endorjek lakes" (as presented in the initial draft) because the city has no jurisdiction over such waterbodies.

Vote and next steps: The bill passed third reading after the amendment was adopted and no objections were recorded. The Department of Facility Maintenance participated in drafting language and supported the collaborative changes.

Ending: With FD1 adopted, the ordinance clarifies city maintenance authority while removing potentially ambiguous references to lakes and ponds that fall outside the city’s control.