Croton Begins Discussion on Use of Leaf Blowers

The use of gas-powered leaf blowers during the summer months might be restricted or banned completely in the Village of Croton-On-Hudson, as mentioned during a work session of the Village Board of Trustees, in response to a resident’s request that the board consider it.

“The subject of leaf blowers came up to begin with because News12.com had an article on their being banned and a resident asked the Trustees to consider it,” said Trustee Ann Gallelli. “I expressed some concerns that we not jump into this as we needed to find out if and how our DPW uses these during the proposed summer month ban.”

The reason behind the proposed ban or restriction is the noise and airborne pollution that the leaf blowers produce. “In neighborhoods within Croton where the yards are cheek-by-jowl, the use of gas-powered blowers can cause considerable noise pollution and airborne dust clouds that negatively impact unsuspecting neighbors,” said Croton Mayor Leo Wiegman. “A number of Westchester municipalities have enacted local laws restricting use of gas-powered leaf blowers and the County has banned the older, higher polluting models.”

One of the suggestions offered was to only ban the gas-powered blowers and to modify the Village’s noise law to restrict the hours the blowers can be used, especially on the weekends. “I would be inclined to support a ban on gas-powered blowers during summer months with some exceptions but not electric blowers,” said Gallelli. “I would also support some tightening of the noise law, but feel that enforcement is the best solution on that aspect.”

Some of the issues the board has asked the staff to discuss are: how the DPW uses the gas powered blowers during the summer months, how this will impact the larger properties in Croton like Sky View and the Golf Course, and are there alternatives to the gas-powered blowers like electric blowers and rakes?

This issue is still in the preliminary stages and no decision was made by the board at this time. “Should the staff make a recommendation to limit hours or days, we would have to undergo a public process of revising Village code. This would require notification and a public hearing,” said Mayor Wiegman. “Bottom line, if we do pursue any restrictions, it will likely be some months before we do so. And it would not happen unless we had at least some discussion with lawn care vendors including the Village's own lawn care vendor. The Board may or may not decide to take any action.”