Council approves limited herbicide application training after debate about scope and safety

The Galena City Council voted May 12 to approve herbicide use and applicator training for a city employee, after a debate about where and how the product would be used and whether the policy was too broad.

Jerry Westbrook (mover of the motion) described the product as a safer, oil-based mixture intended to reduce the labor of manually scraping weeds from brick and stone in city areas. “This is safe for everything. It's not gonna hurt any animals,” he said, arguing that certified application would be more efficient than labor-intensive scraping.

Councilmember Cindy Johnson and others urged caution, saying they supported targeted use in nonresidential or problem areas rather than broad application. “Maybe we could treat those [problem areas], but I don't think that we should approve something that is now we're just spraying again,” Johnson said. She suggested limiting treatment to city-owned, nonresidential property and high-need locations such as Perry Street, where gravel and stones had been difficult to maintain.

Roger Gates and others said the current labor burden of weed control was unsustainable and that the product discussed was “people- and pet-friendly when used.” The council agreed to narrow application locations and to have the certified employee licensed before broader deployment.

The motion to approve training and limited herbicide use passed on a roll call with one recorded no vote. Councilmember Stegmaier recorded a no vote; other members voted yes. The council asked staff to return with a mapped list of locations for treatment and an implementation plan that includes signage and notification procedures where appropriate.