Committee sends model home‑rule petition language to legal on banning certain rodenticides

The Charter & Rules Committee voted to send a model home‑rule petition to the city solicitor seeking authority for Holyoke to prohibit the sale and use of specific anticoagulant rodenticides within city limits.

Committee members said the products, commonly used to control mice and rats, have in practice caused harm to wildlife, pets and local ecosystems. The item joins a growing group of municipalities asking the Massachusetts legislature to allow local bans despite existing state preemption.

The petition uses language previously filed by other communities; the committee moved to have the solicitor put it in local legal form and return it for later review. A sponsor summarized the concern in general terms, saying the chemicals have proved “extraordinarily dangerous to wildlife, to pets, and to the natural systems that control these rodents.” The transcript does not record a line‑by‑line reading of the model petition; rather, committee members approved referral to legal to ensure local drafting conforms to state practice and the petition template used by peer cities.

Next steps: legal staff will prepare the petition in the city’s format for committee review and possible referral to the full council for transmittal to the legislature.