Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
3rd SUBSTITUTE Amending Section 23.29 of the Madison General Ordinances, the City’s noxious weeds ordinance.
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: This ordinance amends the City’s noxious weeds ordinance to add in a policy statement, add six species of invasive species to the City’s noxious weed ordinance while removing three, and reorganize the ordinance to make it easier to understand (including adding in common names for all plants). These changes will make the City’s policy regarding invasive species more apparent, and give the City the authority to order and remove these new harmful species if necessary. This ordinance also gives City staff the authority to approve alternate methods of destroying noxious weeds. Finally, this ordinance eliminates the duplicative language relating to the Weed Commissioner’s authority and immunity that is already controlled by State statute, while at the same time codifying existing City policy that the Weed Commissioner will only enter property containing buildings and structures after giving the property owner notice.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
Section 23.29 entitled “Noxious Weeds” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended to read as follows:
“23.29 NOXIOUS WEEDS.
(1) The term “noxious weeds” as used in this section includes the following: Canada or other thistles, leafy spurge and field bindweed (commonly called creeping Jenny), Ambrosia trifida (commonly called giant ragweed), Ambrosia artemesifolia (commonly called common ragweed), burdock, Rhus radicans sometimes called Radicans toxicodendron, Rhus toxicodendron and Toxicodendron radicans (commonly called poison ivy), Urtica dioica (commonly called stinging nettle), and non-native Lythrum salicaria and Lythrum virgatum and their hybrids (commonly called purple loosestrife).
Purpose. This ordinance...
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