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Buckner staff say DNR limits and safety rules complicate a city brush drop-off and burning site
Summary
Planning and public works staff told aldermen that burning more than 80 cubic yards of brush a week would trigger state air-control permits, engineered pits and blower systems, and several candidate sites are disqualified because they fall within 200 yards of non-city buildings or residences; the board discussed chipping and outsourcing as alternatives and no final site was chosen.
Planning and public works staff told the Buckner Board of Aldermen that state air-control guidance and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) rules significantly restrict the city’s ability to operate a regular brush-burning site as originally proposed.
A staff member told the board that "if we burn more than 80 cubic yards of brush a week, that puts us at risk to be a facilitator and we would have to have special permits" and described the permit requirements the state would impose, including construction of an engineered pit (staff cited dimensions during the discussion) and blower systems to maintain combustion. Staff said many candidate locations are within 200 yards of privately owned buildings or too close to residences and therefore not feasible under the permit limits.
Board members and staff discussed alternatives: issuing one-day or emergency "boom" permits after storms, contracting a commercial chipping operation that would collect and process brush, and increased outreach so residents can handle small burns at their own property under existing city code. Staff also warned about the cost of required specialized equipment and that some commercial options could be expensive.
No final location or program was approved. The board asked staff to explore costs, equipment options (including commercial chippers and whether contracting could be more cost-effective than building a permitted burning site) and to return with proposals and communications plans for residents.
What happens next: staff will survey alternative options, estimate costs for commercial chipping vs. constructing a permitted burn site, and report back to the board.
