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Flint residents urge stricter limits on backyard burning as council weighs ordinance changes
Summary
Multiple residents told the Flint City Council finance committee they oppose proposed changes to ordinance 240168.1 on open burning, saying the amendments would remove penalties and worsen smoke nuisances for tightly spaced city homes; council members said they will review the ordinance language and enforcement options.
Residents packed the public-comment period at the Flint City Council finance committee meeting on May 21 to oppose proposed changes to ordinance 240168.1 governing open burning and backyard fire pits.
Matthew Story, who identified agenda item 240168.1 as the fire-burning pits ordinance, said he only learned of the draft changes the day before and that the proposed language ‘‘takes out a piece of ordinance that applies penalties’’ and ‘‘will make it much easier for residents to burn within the city.’’ He described smoke entering his bedroom from a neighbor’s fire and urged the council to add distance restrictions (he suggested 100 feet) and otherwise tighten rules to protect air quality and neighbors’ health.
Several other residents reinforced that concern. Gladys Williamson, a Ninth Ward resident, told the committee that small lot sizes mean smoke ‘‘affects the whole block’’ and said she has environmental asthma and ‘‘precancerous nodules’’ on her lungs, so neighborhood burning is a health hazard for her. She urged enforcement of existing rules and questioned a proposed softening of penalties. Councilmembers echoed those enforcement concerns, with one member saying the problem is less about the ordinance’s language than about capacity to enforce it.
In council responses, members said they would review the ordinance language and enforcement options. Council President Tonya Burns (first reference during responses) denounced an unrelated, offensive social-media post mentioned by commenters and said she would assist in removing it if it used an official’s name. Another member said she understood residents’ pleas not to ‘‘smell wood or trash’’ in their homes and committed to examining the draft ordinance to ensure it protects nearby residents.
The committee did not take a formal vote on ordinance 240168.1 during the excerpted discussion; members limited remarks to acknowledging constituent concerns and promising further review. The council faces two distinct but linked issues: whether to change the ordinance text and how to ensure enforcement if changes are made.
What’s next: Council members said they would review the proposed ordinance language and enforcement capacity. No ordinance adoption or amendment vote is recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.
