Councilor-at-Large Katy Rogers said she wants the City Council to be in a position where all future turf-replacement projects must be first reviewed by the Council as one item before a vote on appropriating the funding for the project is taken.
Rogers’ request followed a vote at the Sept. 23 meeting for a $1.4 million appropriation for turf replacement at the football stadium.
“Essentially all fields will be defaulted as grass unless the Council approves an environmentally sustainable turf as an alternative,” said Rogers. “For instance [at the Sept. 23 meeting], the fire truck and the turf field were lumped together as one item, which creates the assumption that turf is default. This ordinance allows the Council to have jurisdiction over not only funding the fields, but also forces a discussion about what material is being used instead of it being assumed as currently is practiced. It just adds a layer of transparency and environmental safety that requires a greater discussion on as-needed basis.”
Rogers’ motion passed by a 10-1 margin, with Councilor-at-Large Stephanie Smith casting the lone dissenting vote.