UPDATED: 2/28/23

The Town Council has scheduled a Special Meeting to hold a Public Hearing for Wednesday, March 1, 2023, on a citizen petition entitled, “Petition for Enactment of Cape Elizabeth Residential Pesticide Use Ordinance,” pursuant to Council-Manager Charter Article VIII Sec. 3 Petition for enactment of ordinance.  The signatures have been validated and the Public Hearing will proceed as planned.

The March 1 date was selected at the February 13 council meeting in order to comply with the Charter requirement that a public hearing be held within 30 days of a petition filing.  Given that the petition was filed on February 10, the 30-day deadline falls one day before the regular March 13 council meeting.  Within 30 days after the public hearing, the council must schedule a public referendum, unless the council votes to enact the ordinance prior to the referendum.

Richard Nick Bryant, who is the attorney and primary drafter of the citizen petition, reported at the February 13 council meeting that the primary goal of his client is to have the council vote to enact the ordinance without scheduling a public referendum.  “Barring that, what we would really like to do is to have the council send out the petition for a public vote in the June election,” Bryant said.  As pesticide use is a seasonal issue, Bryant pointed out that a November referendum would delay the effectiveness of the ordinance until the summer season of 2024.  “Our goal is to get this instituted as quickly as possible; if not by the council, then by a public vote in June.”