IRVINE : Council to Consider Leaf Blower Rules
Leaf blowers, called noisy, polluting and ineffective by their detractors, will once again be the topic of a City Council discussion Tuesday night.
The council will consider an ordinance that would either ban the blowers or further restrict their use. Currently, city regulations allow the use of leaf blowers only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Leaf blowers may not be operated on Sundays.
“Twice before we’ve discussed the use of leaf blowers at length, and they seem to generate a lot of controversy,” City Manager Paul Brady Jr. said.
For the past three months, city staff has conducted meetings with concerned citizens, blower manufacturers, gardeners and homeowners associations. The staff reports that gardeners claim labor costs would increase significantly if blowers were banned.
The Department of Public Works has estimated that it would cost the city an extra $306,500 a year to maintain city facilities without the blowers. Another $50,000 would be needed to hire a city inspector to monitor and enforce the ban.
The council meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
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