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Council advances pollinator-garden amendment to vegetation ordinance; second reading set after split vote
Summary
The council reviewed proposed language to allow limited pollinator gardens within the town's weed and vegetation ordinance. Staff said gardens improve stormwater retention and biodiversity; first-reading votes showed a split and the item will return for a second reading.
Council staff presented an amendment (Ordinance 2025-G-02) to incorporate pollinator-garden allowances into the town's existing ordinance regulating weeds, grass and rank vegetation. Staff described benefits including improved stormwater retention, enhanced biodiversity and habitat for birds and beneficial insects while noting that full-property conversions to pollinator gardens would be prohibited and that maintenance requirements remain.
Council members debated the scope and voted on first reading; the clerk recorded a split vote with at least two nays and the item was scheduled for a second reading at the next meeting. Council members requested clarifications and staff said they worked with a Louisville consultant (Beargrass Thunder) to draft guidelines. "Allowing pollinator gardens does not remove the need to maintain and manage the growth," staff noted in the presentation.
