Select Board continues work on proposed gas leaf-blower bylaw after public input; timeline and municipal exemptions remain contested

The Select Board discussed an updated draft bylaw to limit or phase out gas-powered leaf blowers. The draft preserves some exemptions and includes a multi-year transition intended to ease costs for homeowners and small contractors while still restricting routine summer noise and air emissions.

Why it matters: The topic drew many public speakers and civic groups because the bylaw intersects public health, environmental policy, labor issues and costs for residents and commercial landscapers.

Key elements discussed: The draft keeps a phased approach with spring/fall seasonal exceptions through a transitional period, a per-property timetable for homeowner compliance, and an exemption for small landscape businesses employing one or two people. The draft also disallows new purchases of gas blowers for municipal use after the coming January but allows continued use until a municipality's compliance date in the ordinance; board members questioned whether the town should be treated the same as private residents.

Public testimony: Residents and advocates urged an accelerated phase-out, citing health concerns for operators and bystanders, and calling attention to the many landscaper employees who are Latinx and sometimes undocumented. Paul Campus and other speakers pointed to local electric-only landscapers and argued that market options and used commercial electric vehicles now make a faster conversion viable. Reverend Maria McCabe urged the board to consider worker protections and immigration-status vulnerabilities while setting a timetable.

Board response and drafting changes: Select Board member David detailed proposed language changes he had prepared after listening sessions: preserving a warning-first approach, keeping a four-cycle exception, protecting small businesses (one- or two-person shops), and adding spring/fall transition exceptions for certain periods to avoid cutting off seasonal cleanups. Members suggested copy edits (use of "director" vs "commissioner") and asked counsel to clarify enforcement language, municipal exemptions and whether school-district or state properties fall under the bylaw.

Next steps: The board asked staff and counsel to clean up the draft for clarity, reconcile ambiguous definitions (e.g., "entity that employs two or more"), and return the revision in short order for another hearing. Several members signaled preference for accelerating the end date for gas blowers, but the board did not adopt a final date and chose to revise language and schedule before taking a final vote.