Recreational Fire Ordinance Passes Committee
The amendment to the City's recreational fire ordinance I authored passed the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Health committee this afternoon, and I expect it to pass the full Council next week. When it goes into effect, the City will prohibit recreational fires during "Air Quality Alert" days for particulate matter. Air Quality Alerts are called by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) when the Air Quality Index is in the range that is considered "unhealthy for sensitive groups." This ordinance change was recommended by the City's Community Environmental Advisory Committee (CEAC) and Public Health Advisory Committee late last year. I consider it a compromise between folks who have concerns about recreational fires and those who enjoy having them. At today's committee meeting, I asked our Fire Department and Health Department staff for more information about their plans to inform the public of these changes, let folks know when we're...