MILLSTONE – The Township Committee is taking action to prevent the spread of invasive plant species in Millstone Township.
On Dec. 6, committee members introduced an ordinance that adds a section regarding invasive plant species to the township’s police regulations ordinance.
Mayor Michael Kuczinski and committee members Bob Kinsey, Gary Dorfman and Nancy Grbelja voted to introduce the ordinance. Deputy Mayor Fiore Masci was absent.
A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for the committee’s Dec. 20 meeting and the committee may vote to adopt the ordinance that evening.
According to the ordinance, the purpose of creating the invasive plant species section is to preserve and protect public and private property from the spread of invasive species plants, to protect indigenous and other plant materials from the spread of invasive species plants and to maintain the general welfare of residents.
Plant species that are defined as invasive under the ordinance are bamboo, Canadian thistle, Eurasian watermilfoil, garlic mustard, Japanese knotweed, Japanese stiltgrass, mile-a-minute, purple loosestrife, Russian olive and water chestnut.
According to the proposed ordinance, the owner/occupant of a property where an invasive species is planted is required to confine the species and prevent its spread onto another private property, public property and/or public right-of-way. The owner/occupant may elect to remove the plant species from the property and all affected properties.
Should an invasive plant species reach and affect another property, according to the ordinance, the owner/occupant of the property with the species will receive notice from the township inspector to remove the species from the affected property, confine the species from future encroachment or completely remove the species from the owner/occupant’s property.
If the owner/occupant does not accomplish the removal of the invasive plant species from other properties, a citation will be issued by the township inspector and penalties will be imposed. Millstone may also institute civil proceedings for injunctive or civil relief, according to the ordinance. The invasive plant species will be considered a weed, which will allow the township to remove species at its option and discretion.
