Jefferson County to seek public hearing on higher weed‑control fees

The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 12 to publish notice and schedule a public hearing on proposed increases to the county’s noxious‑weed and invasive‑species fee schedule.

Commissioners approved placing the changes for publication after staff described a recommended increase to the county’s contract‑spraying rates: the proposed employee contract spraying hourly rate would rise from $30 to $45, the equipment hourly rate from $40 to $55, and the cost‑share spraying rate would move from $70 per hour to $35 per acre. An unidentified commissioner who moved the item said the change would align the county with neighboring jurisdictions and reflect higher labor, equipment and input costs.

Staff presented comparative figures for nearby counties and state cost‑share guidance, saying that depending on the chemical mix and prices, the county’s cheapest per‑acre cost currently ranges from about $34.47 to roughly $42 per acre. Commissioners and staff noted that some counties charge hourly rates above $75 and cited state and local variations in cost‑share approaches.

The motion to publish the proposed rates for a public hearing and to run the legal notice twice over a two‑week period passed unanimously. Commissioners instructed staff to confirm legal language with counsel and to return the finalized fee schedule and hearing date to the board; the actual adoption would occur only after the public hearing and any required notice period.

The board’s authorization was solely to publish notice and schedule a hearing; no final fee adoption occurred at the Jan. 12 meeting.