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Geneva residents press council to pursue ordinance restricting outdoor wood burning
Summary
A resident urged Geneva City Council to move forward on drafting an ordinance to curb wood-burning fireplaces and furnaces after prolonged complaints about smoke and fire risk; council members said the solicitor and health agencies are being consulted and research is under way.
June Collin, a resident of 407 West Main, told the Geneva City Council during the citizen comment period that smoke from a neighbor’s outdoor wood burning represented “a health hazard, a health problem” and a fire risk to nearby structures.
Collin said she has raised the issue multiple times over the past year and asked for an update on what the city is doing. “It is a health hazard, a health problem. It's a safety issue. I've got an old carriage house that's within 15 feet. It could easily carry sparks out to set my carriage or my house on fire. I worry about that all the time,” she said.
The council said it is researching whether to draft an ordinance that would prohibit wood burning from fireplaces and furnaces in some circumstances. Council President (title recorded in transcript as “Mister President”) said the city solicitor has contacted the health department and the zoning inspector and that staff are collecting language from other communities that have restrictions. “We are looking at trying to put it in an ordinance that would prohibit wood burning, fireplaces, furnaces,” the council president said.
Council members and staff said the city also will ask the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the local health department to evaluate air quality at specific addresses if residents request it. The council noted that some existing installations may be covered by grandfathering and that any enforcement or mitigation tied to air-quality rules would likely involve public-health authorities.
City staff said the solicitor or finance director could prepare draft ordinance language after research is complete. No draft ordinance was introduced and no formal vote took place; council members described the current step as research and interagency consultation.
Collin told the council she hoped for answers at the next meeting; council members said they intend to report back after further conversations with the solicitor and health officials.
The city did not provide a timetable for drafting or introducing legislation during the meeting, and council members cautioned that some older installations might be grandfathered and therefore beyond the scope of an ordinance.
Ending: The council recorded the complaint and described a process of legal review and health-department consultation; no formal ordinance was proposed or voted on during the meeting.
