Changes to Nevada County’s two-year-old hazardous vegetation ordinance are being considered by the Board of Supervisors. An update on the ordinance was presented at their meeting on Tuesday. But OES Manager Paul Cummings said staff still recommends that the 50/50 cost share provision stay in place. It states if the property owner’s 100 feet of defensible space can’t be achieved without encroaching on their neighbor’s property, that both property owners can split the labor cost. But some residents told stories to the Board about no cooperation from neighbors, including Bart of Alta Sierra. He said one neighbor’s trees have fallen on other properties, including part of his deck, with no offer to help from that landowner…

click to listen to Bart of Alta Sierra

Bart and some others also were unhappy about the lack of enforcement of the provision by the county. Meanwhile, Cummings said staff recommends an alternative that would require 100-percent treatment of all unincorporated parcels of less than one acre…

click to listen to Paul Cummings

That also seemed to have support from the Board, including Supervisor Hardy Bullock, who shared concerns about the 50/50 provision…

click to listen to Hardy Bullock

Other changes under consideration include adding a requirement for property owners to maintain a five-foot ember resistant zone. Final decisions aren’t expected from the Board until early next year.