Washington County To Reconsider Invasive Species Ban

This Wednesday (June 5th) at 10:00 a.m., the Washington County Government Operations Committee has scheduled a special meeting to reconsider a local law that would make the transport of aquatic invasive species illegal within Washington county.

The County Board of Supervisors last month narrowly defeated the law that would have imposed fines on those who failed to remove visible aquatic species from their boat or trailer. Eight supervisors voted in favor and eight voted against the proposed law. Because Washington county uses a weighted voting system based on population in each town, the final margin was 2083 against to 2011 for the proposed law.

I spoke to Dresden Supervisor Bob Banks who sponsored the resolution and voted for the proposed law. He was disappointed that it did not pass but was hopeful that it would be revisited.

Those opposed to the law were concerned about unintended consequences and how the environmental assessment was done.

The Post Star reported on the original vote here.

The special meeting scheduled for June 5th is to revisit the issues involved.