Leland Town Council holds open burning workshop
LELAND, NC (WWAY) — More than 50 people took part in an open burning workshop held by the Leland Town Council at the Leland Cultural Arts Center on Monday afternoon.
Last month, the Leland town council passed an ordinance banning open burning for land clearance.
The workshop included presentations by the town’s attorney and fire chief about the laws surrounding open burning at the state level.
Members of the North Carolina Forestry Service, State Division of Air Quality, and Department of Environmental Quality took part as well.
Council member Veronica Carter said the town is taking its time making sure everything is done correctly for a good reason.
“There’s over 500 municipalities in the state of North Carolina and you hear DEQ say that they did not know of any other municipality that had anything like this in the state,” Carter said. “So when you’re first, it takes, if you do it correctly, it takes a little bit of time, so. Have we missed an I, dotting an I? Maybe, I hope not. Have we missed crossing a T? Maybe, I hope not, but lord knows we’re trying.”
Around a dozen residents spoke during the workshop, with some, like Vivien Monnie, saying the ordinance needs to be strengthened.
“It needs to be tightened up, the screws need to be tightened up for this to be, something that is good for everyone and it needs to be enforceable,” Monnie said.
The mayors of nearby Belville, Northwest, and Navassa were in attendance.
Several council members, including Bill McHugh, said those towns need to be included to create a regional solution to the problem.
“So we updated the ordinance to strengthen and clarify the language and we are also seeking approval from the EMC for a local air quality program. That’ll help us bring a more regional approach, get other municipalities and potentially the county involved and allow us to ensure that Leland isn’t the only one leading the way on clean air.”
The updated ordinance will be discussed and voted on at the town council’s meeting next week.
