Millersville’s Public Works Committee on Sept. 9 directed staff to rescind citations issued to several properties whose plantings were identified as native pollinator gardens and authorized staff to prepare draft ordinance language to allow such gardens under specified conditions.
Committee members and staff said the borough’s existing property-maintenance ordinance contains no exception for native pollinator plantings, which can exceed the height thresholds now described as weeds. Residents had submitted photos and plant lists claiming native plantings; committee members who inspected the properties agreed some plantings were native pollinator species.
The committee recommended an interim practice: if a resident receives a weed or property-maintenance notice and provides proof the planting is a native pollinator garden (plant list, photos), staff will suspend enforcement while council considers ordinance amendments. Council directed staff to draft ordinance language that would define native pollinator gardens and include limits to protect sightlines and public safety (for example, front-yard visibility and sidewalk clearance), and return a proposed ordinance for council review.
Members cited concerns about first-responder sightlines, sidewalk obstruction and the potential for misuse if a lax rule encouraged minimal planting labeled as “native” to avoid maintenance obligations. The committee emphasized the ordinance should permit pollinator gardens but retain provisions requiring property owners to control overgrowth that obstructs streets, sidewalks or emergency access.