Horticulture and Forestry Advisory Board Minutes 2007 08 02

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Horticultural & Forestry Advisory Board Minutes August 2, 2007 Page 2 of 2 Ellen is going to work Friday at the city booth and looking for help. Mike reported selling 18 shorts last week. VI. Guest - Scott Robson - procedures discussion -From a process standpoint on big discussions, Scott suggested we follow a protocol where if there is a decision to be made a formal vote should be taken. Chairperson should lead the conversation because it does help for the record. Other boards have been presented with issues made resolutions and found them to be useful tools. A resolution helps boil the issue down to what the board believes and makes it easier for city staff to know what the board wants. City Council will see the resolution as well. Resolutions are non-binding but have clear direction. The board would draft copies, make changes until we have a final Resolution agreed upon and then vote to pass. VII. Discussion of Pesticide Issue: A long discussion began with all members having ideas on how to begin our resolution process. The board discussed whether or not to include pesticide use in our "toolbox" or to remove them. Tim wanted to get the fellow members' opinions on the matter saying that he was not in favor of continuing with the use of pesticides. Mike said that he was in favor, fearing that if the public spaces of Louisville contained dandelions, his property value may go down. Tim asked Mike, if people are getting sick because of pesticides, would he still be in favor of using them, Mike said yes. Theresa said that she feels it is our obligation to our planet to minimize the use of pesticides, but they still have their place and she was in favor of continuing their use. Ellen agreed with Theresa and is in favor of continuing their use. Jeff said he was not in favor on continuing with their use. He said that the science is out there showing the dangers posed by using pesticides. He argued that in Mike's example of property value the health costs of sick people are not being weighed, so the comparison is unfair. He also argued that property values would go up in a pesticide free area and that many cities across the world are banning pesticide use and cities would not continue to do so if their property value was being brought down. He encouraged those in favor of pesticide use to bring in evidence of their safety. Fred said that he currently had no opinion on the matter. Mike made a motion to keep pesticides in our resolution "tool-box". Theresa seconded. Fred suggested for the next meeting having members bring in bullet lists of ideas and a summary of goals. He also would like to have models of IPM programs from other cities to look at.