Fairfield council discusses leaf burning

FAIRFIELD - The Fairfield City Council addressed a request at its meeting Monday, April 13, from a resident asking for the city to ban leaf-burning.

Resident Bernadette Cardinale wrote an email to the council stating, 'We have enough challenges to our respiratory systems due to the pandemic. Please immediately put into effect a total ban on burning within city limits. It's the most responsible and compassionate approach.”

Under current city code, residents may burn leaves and other yard debris, but only on select days and even then only during three months of the year: on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during the months of April, October and November.

Mayor Connie Boyer said she was on the council years ago when this issue came up.

'There were a lot of people who wanted it banned, but also a lot who didn't,” she recalled. 'We tried to create a compromise.”

During discussion, councilors felt that it was not the right time to revisit the issue. Council member Michael Halley, who pushed to reduce the number of burning days to three when it was previously four, said it made little sense to change the burning policy when half of April is already done. He mentioned that the city just informed residents through their monthly utility bills of the city's burning policy. He said it would only confuse residents if the city were to try to enact a ban now.

'And it would be difficult to enforce,” Halley added.

Halley mentioned that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources strongly discourages burning leaves. Its website mentions how the carbon monoxide released from leaf burning binds with hemoglobin in the bloodstream to reduce oxygen flow. Tiny particulate matter released from burning can become embedded in lung tissue and is known to contribute to premature death, affect people with heart conditions and trigger asthmatic reactions for some people.

'Please learn not to burn,” states the DNR's website. 'Composting, mulching and bagging are cleaner options.”

Ultimately, the council took no action on leaf burning.

The council passed a resolution adopting 'emergency procedures for contagious disease.” Boyer wanted to stress that the procedures are merely temporary and that, once the virus has passed, the city will go back to operating normally. She said the procedures call for employees trying to work in shifts so they're not in close contact with each other.

Boyer said that she is sticking to her normal routine of working at city hall on Tuesday and Thursday in the late afternoons.

'It's not that much different for me,” she said. 'We're still keeping social distancing, and most employees are going home within 30 minutes after I arrive, so I'm not interacting with people much.”

The emergency procedures resolution also states that the city expects to lose revenue from sources such as the local-option sales tax and Road Use Tax due to decreased economic activity. Some of its projects planned for this year are being put on hold as a result, such as the design work on repairs to Merrill and Carpenter avenues.