Health and Human Development Committee Meeting - October 16, 2025
Health and Human Development Committee Meeting - October 16, 2025
The Health and Human Development Committee convened on October 16, 2025, to review and vote on Board Bill 78, a comprehensive update to the city's vegetation ordinance. The committee focused on codifying allowances for managed native and sustenance gardens, clarifying maintenance standards, and strengthening the enforcement mechanism for forestry fines and fees. After adopting a committee substitute, discussing stakeholder involvement, and addressing specific concerns regarding weed identification and revenue collection from chronic violators, members voted unanimously to approve the bill.
Consent Calendar
- The committee approved the minutes from the meeting held on Thursday, July 10, 2025, by a roll call vote of 3 to 0 (Ayes: 3).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Written Testimony: Seven written testimonies were submitted to the committee clerk; all expressed support for the bill with zero objections or non-support comments noted.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Alderwoman Sweitzer acknowledged extensive participation from stakeholders including Alan Jankowski (Forestry Director), Greg Hayes (Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Director), the Office on the Disabled, the Sustainability Office, Seed St. Louis, and the Audubon Society, who provided feedback during the drafting process.
Discussion Items
- Board Bill 78 Overview: Alderwoman Sweitzer introduced the bill, which updates the vegetation ordinance to explicitly permit managed native and sustenance gardens under specific parameters. The bill defines 'natural landscape,' 'native plant,' 'meadow vegetation,' and 'chronic violator,' and establishes rules regarding plant height (max 24 inches on tree lawns), line of sight near intersections, and the prohibition of toxic weeds (e.g., poison ivy, honeysuckle).
- Managed Landscape Requirement: Commissioners Jankowski and Hayes emphasized that the ordinance requires active maintenance. "No landscape is zero maintenance." They confirmed that residents cannot simply allow natural growth; they must actively manage the site, and staff can identify violations if residents cannot identify their plants or if invasive species (like self-seeding catalpas) dominate.
- Fines and Fees Enforcement: The bill updates collection processes to allow the city to charge abatements and issue fines for both initial violations and repeat offenses. Commissioner Jankowski noted that the existing process for collecting these fines was previously missing a legal mechanism. He expressed support for the new revenue stream, potentially generating millions of dollars, which would be allocated back to the forestry department. He outlined a plan utilizing three nuisance inspectors and a $20 hearing application fee to deter frivolous hearings.
- Flood Mitigation Benefits: Alderman Browning, a co-sponsor, expressed support for the bill, highlighting that native gardens with deeper roots act as a "giant sponge" to absorb heavy rainfall, reducing street flooding and water damage.
- Sunflower Case Reference: Alderwoman Sonier raised the case of a St. Peters household with sunflowers leading to a lawsuit. The committee clarified that while tall sunflowers in the tree lawn (exceeding 24 inches) would be prohibited, purposeful, maintained plantings within the property line that do not obstruct right-of-ways are permitted.
- Constitutional Concerns: Alderwoman Sonier expressed concern about the administrative burden of enforcing fines on chronic violators. She asked for details on the tracking mechanism. The committee was assured that the department already photos every inspection and utilizes a special tax sale for delinquent accounts to aid collection.
Key Outcomes
- Committee Substitute Adoption: The committee adopted the committee substitute for Board Bill 78 by unanimous consent, incorporating updates to limit tree lawn height from 36 inches to 24 inches and clarifying fee collection definitions.
- Full Board Approval: The committee voted to approve Board Bill 78 with a "due pass" recommendation to the full City Council.
- Co-Sponsorship Addition: Alderwoman Sweitzer accepted Alderwoman Cox as a co-sponsor during the meeting.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned with a motion seconded and passed.
Meeting Transcript
I'll now call to order the health and human uh development committee. Um, Madam Clerk, would you please call the role? Auto Woman ties. Vice Chair Odenberg. Present. Auto Woman Sonier. Auto Woman Cox Enthui. Present. Chair Boyd. Present. Auto Woman ties. Audible woman Sonia. We have free prison. We have a quorum. Thank you so much. I asked for the approval of minutes for Thursday, July the 10th, 2025. So moved. Okay. So we have approval of Auto Woman. I was I'll say, I'm I'm coming. Auto Woman ties. Vice Chair Odenberg. Auto Woman Sonier. Chair Audown Cox Anthony. Hi. Chair Boyd. Aye. Auto Woman ties. Auto Woman Say. We have three I votes. Thank you. So we have approved for minutes. So now we have board bills for review. We have Board Bill number 78 introduced by Alderwoman Ann Sweitzer. And so Ottawa Ms. Sweitzer, would you like to uh start? Yes, thank you, Madam Chairwoman and members of the committee. I appreciate you hearing this bill today. Uh today in front of us we have Board Bill 78, uh, which is an update of the city's vegetation ordinance. Uh, to begin at first, though, I have a committee substitute that I would appreciate it if the committee could adopt before we begin discussion. And I'll share my screen so you can see what that committee substitute um looks like. Let me get that up for us and then get the presentation going. Um what's going on? Give me one moment to get the slideshow up. Okay, hopefully everyone can see the screen as it's loading. Uh so the first thing I'd love to do, as I mentioned, is get the committee substitute adopted. If we could uh if someone on the committee is able to make that motion to adopt the committee substitute, I would uh appreciate that. Uh it does say here that what the updates are in that committee sub after we introduced the bill, we had further stakeholder engagement and talked about um limiting the tree lawn height from 36 inches to 24 inches, and it updates some of the information around collection of fees and some of the definitions got cleaned up as well. Sir, I move a move, madam chair, that we uh adopt Board Bill 78 committee substitute. Second roll call.
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