Lawn Ordinance Committee To "Include Broader Community Input"

Lana Sutton, of East Brainerd, TN, has turned her yard into a native plant sanctuary. Lana's yard has become a habitat for plants such as Goldenrods, Maximilian Sunflowers, Daffodils, Cornflowers, Horse Mint, Red Trumpet Vines, and Marsh Roses, just to name a few. Although many people may believe that this type of yard is beautiful and amazing, our city has a different idea of what a yard should look like.

Lana has had a hard time keeping her yard natural due to the city's lawn ordinance. Lana has become an activist for natural yards and has been the main voice between the public and the city. In August, the city announced that they would rewrite the proposed lawn ordinance so it would include a "broader community input." The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 at 10 a.m. If your work schedule allows it, and this is something you believe in, this would be a meeting well worth attending.

Here is an email I received from Lana Sutton re-guarding the first meeting.

Following August's public rebuke of the city's proposed lawn ordinance, Chattanooga officials quickly announced their rewrite process would include broader community input.

Almost as quickly, they made their first meeting near impossible for working people to attend: 10 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9, at City Hall.

This meeting is, however, convenient for land speculators and developers who dream of empowering city yard inspectors to “correct” your flower bed, woods or vegetable garden without due process.

I imagine developers' lawn aesthetics are wildly important to our elected developers and real estate agents. That's especially true with the city poised to annex a hot new real estate frontier in the counties' fields, forests and farms.

But here's the thing: developers' profits don't trump the public good, or individual property rights.

Tens of thousands of Chattanoogans with flower beds, woods and butterfly gardens would have to apply for permits under the current proposal. Any “vegetative growth over 10 inches” would be illegal.

I'm glad citizens are waking up to the fearlessness with which our elected officials are threatening our property rights. It's time to make Chattanooga government for the people, not the well-connected.

Ideally, actual citizens would populate these “citizen” committees.