Local landscapers warn Senate Bill 391 will sharply cut roadside mowing, raise safety worries

Local business owners told the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners that a change in state law will severely curtail roadside mowing on state highways and threatened contractors' livelihoods and road safety. Precision Lawn Care and Landscaping owner Maria Rogerson said the change, tucked into a broader Senate Bill 391 that she learned about after it was adopted in June, contains two provisions that affect DOT mowing schedules: the Department of Transportation may not schedule mowing of any right of way during the period when placement of vertical political signs is permitted (30 days before early voting through two weeks after an election) and the…