5/20/2024 13:45:58 Ash Kulak commented on this case.
Thank you for your comments. Your message was shared with members of the Common Council's Climate Action & Resilience Committee (CARC).
To answer your question, there are not currently any specific restrictions in City code on the use of off-road lawn and garden equipment within City limits. Currently the only piece of City code that would touch on this issue is Chapter 14.09 of the Bloomington Municipal Code, which is the City's noise ordinance, if the equipment was so loud for long enough that it constituted unreasonable noise.
The City Council's Climate Action and Resilience Committee has, however, been working on suggesting updates to City code to implement regulating off-road lawn and garden equipment in line with the City's Climate Action Plan (CAP). A copy of the CAP can be found online at the following web link: https://bloomington.in.gov/sustainability/2020-climate-action-plan.
The relevant CAP Strategy that the Climate Action & Resilience Committee has been focusing on is Strategy TL1-I, "Reduce city off-road and lawn equipment annual emissions to below 35,000 metric tons." The CAP Action associated with the Strategy that the CARC has been tasked with implementing is Action TL1-I-3: "Establish a gas powered lawn equipment phase-out ordinance transitioning to lawn equipment powered by electricity or alternative clean fuels and decreased noise pollution levels." This ordinance has not yet been drafted nor adopted by the Common Council, but it is a longer term project that the CARC has been involved with since 2022. Several Departments within the City itself have been working on phasing out gas-powered lawn and garden equipment for the city's own use.
At the most recent CARC meetings, the Committee has come up with suggestions to do three things: (1) codify the phase out of the City's use of gas powered off-road equipment for its own use,(2) encourage the City to implement programs to incentivize residents to switch from gas to electric lawn and garden equipment, and (3) amend the City's noise ordinance in order to implement general regulations and time of day restrictions on this type of equipment no matter the power source (gas or electric).
For more information, the CARC website is at the following web link: https://bloomington.in.gov/council/climate-action. CARC meetings generally are held the first Monday of every month at 5:30 pm in City Hall. The next meeting is scheduled for June 3, 2024, in the Hooker Conference Room #245. The public may also join via Zoom (details available on the CARC website).
Sent notification to Ash Kulak
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=188496
Ash Kulak commented on this case.
Thank you for your comments. Your message was shared with members of the Common Council's Climate Action & Resilience Committee (CARC).
To answer your question, there are not currently any specific restrictions in City code on the use of off-road lawn and garden equipment within City limits. Currently the only piece of City code that would touch on this issue is Chapter 14.09 of the Bloomington Municipal Code, which is the City's noise ordinance, if the equipment was so loud for long enough that it constituted unreasonable noise.
The City Council's Climate Action and Resilience Committee has, however, been working on suggesting updates to City code to implement regulating off-road lawn and garden equipment in line with the City's Climate Action Plan (CAP). A copy of the CAP can be found online at the following web link: https://bloomington.in.gov/sustainability/2020-climate-action-plan.
The relevant CAP Strategy that the Climate Action & Resilience Committee has been focusing on is Strategy TL1-I, "Reduce city off-road and lawn equipment annual emissions to below 35,000 metric tons." The CAP Action associated with the Strategy that the CARC has been tasked with implementing is Action TL1-I-3: "Establish a gas powered lawn equipment phase-out ordinance transitioning to lawn equipment powered by electricity or alternative clean fuels and decreased noise pollution levels." This ordinance has not yet been drafted nor adopted by the Common Council, but it is a longer term project that the CARC has been involved with since 2022. Several Departments within the City itself have been working on phasing out gas-powered lawn and garden equipment for the city's own use.
At the most recent CARC meetings, the Committee has come up with suggestions to do three things: (1) codify the phase out of the City's use of gas powered off-road equipment for its own use,(2) encourage the City to implement programs to incentivize residents to switch from gas to electric lawn and garden equipment, and (3) amend the City's noise ordinance in order to implement general regulations and time of day restrictions on this type of equipment no matter the power source (gas or electric).
For more information, the CARC website is at the following web link: https://bloomington.in.gov/council/climate-action. CARC meetings generally are held the first Monday of every month at 5:30 pm in City Hall. The next meeting is scheduled for June 3, 2024, in the Hooker Conference Room #245. The public may also join via Zoom (details available on the CARC website).
5/20/2024 09:44:23 April Rosenberger assigned this case to Ash Kulak
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April Rosenberger assigned this case to Ash Kulak
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5/17/2024 11:44:34 Anonymous assigned this case to April Rosenberger
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https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=188496
Anonymous assigned this case to April Rosenberger
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